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EARLY  DAYS  ON 
GRAND  RIVER  AND 
THE  MORMON  WAR 

BY 
ROLLIN  J.  BRIXTON 


PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

OF  MISSOURI,  COLUMBIA 

1920 


F     V3t> 
.  13  T  I 


^  n-u^"^ 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  THE  MORMON 

WAR. 

ROLLIN  J.   BRITTON.* 

FIRST  ARTICLE. 

*The  following  story  of  the  Early  Days  on  Grand  River  and  the  Mormon 
War  is  believed  by  the  compiler  to  be  authentic  history.  In  its  preparation  free 
use  has  been  made  of  public  records  and  documents  and  of  the  writings  of  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  Major  Joseph  H.  McGee,  Lyman  Wight,  Major  Rebum  S.  Holcombe, 
James  H.  Hunt,  Heman  O.  Smith  and  others. 

Much  personal  assistance  has  been  rendered  the  compiler  by  Rev.  Frank 
R.  Gillihan,  formerly  of  Gallatin,  Mo. ;  W.  O.  Tague,  Circuit  Clerk  of  Daviess 
County,  Mo.;  Heman  C.  Smith,  historian  of  the  Re-Organized  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints;  Herbert  P.  McDougal,  litterateur;  Col.  Boyd 
Dudley,  of  Gallatin,  Mo. ;  and  Wm.  R.  Handy,  of  Gallatin,  Mo. ;  while  the  task 
of  putting  the  manuscript  into  shape  for  the  printer  has  devolved  upon 
Mrs.  Mabel  Andersen  of  Independence,  Missouri,  whose  faithful  labor  in  the 
interest  of  history  has  made  this  publication  possible. — The  Author. 

The  white  man  first  entered  that  part  of  the  Grand 
River  Country  in  Missouri  now  known  as  Daviess  county 
in  1830.  The  only  semblance  to  towns  that  he  found  therein 
were  certain  Indian  camps,  the  last  one  of  which  passed 
away  in  1834,  when  the  Indians  allowed  the  embers  to  die 
out  in  the  great  camp  fire  at  the  head  of  Auberry  Grove, 
north  of  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Jamesport. 

In  the  autumn  of  1831  Robert  P.  Peniston,  Sr.,  moved 
his  family  and  slaves,  among  the  latter  being  Jacob  and  Henry 
Peniston,  from  Kentucky  to  Missouri;  the  family  remained 
in  lower  Ray  county  that  winter,  while  William  P.  Peniston, 
the  eldest  son,  accompanied  by  the  two  slaves,  Jacob  and 
Henry,  and  the  wife  of  Henry,  pushed  on  to  the  Grand  River 
Country  and  camped  on  Splawn's  Ridge,  where  they  builded 
cabins  for  the  family  that  came  on  in  the  spring  of  1832, 
bringing  Theodore  Peniston,  as  well,  with  them. 

The  Black  Hawk  war  was  then  in  progress,  and  at  its 
close  in  1832  many  of  those  who  had  been  ranging  the  country 
as  soldiers,  were  so  well  pleased  with  the  Grand  River  Country 
that  they  concluded  to  settle  in  what  is  now  Daviess  county. 

(1) 


2  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

Among  these  was  Milford  Donaho,  who  brought  his  family 
from  Ray  county  and  settled  in  or  near  Auberry  Grove. 
Major  Joseph  H.  McGee  described  Donaho  as  follows:  "He 
was  one  of  those  rare  geniuses  seldom  found  except  in  a  new 
country.  As  a  mechanic  he  was  confined  to  no  one  trade. 
He  was  a  blacksmith,  gunsmith,  wagon-maker,  house  car- 
penter and  millwright;  and  though  he  excelled  in  none,  he 
was  good  in  all ;  some  of  the  best  target  rifles  ever  used  in  the 
Grand  River  Country  were  of  his  make." 

FOUNDING  OF  MILL  PORT   AND  GALLATIN. 

Robert  P.  Peniston,  Sr.,  being  the  most  prosperous  man 
in  a  financial  way  on  Grand  River  was  urged  by  the  settlers 
to  build  a  horse  mill  for  the  grinding  of  corn,  to  which  the  rest 
of  the  community  would  pay  tribute  and  Mr.  Peniston  employ- 
ed Milford  Donaho  to  erect  such  a  mill  on  the  Peniston  land. 
The  mill  was  built  of  logs  and  timbers  scored  and  hewed  by 
Donaho  and  Jacob  Peniston ;  the  latter  was  famous  as  an  ax 
man.  The  burs  for  the  mill  were  made  by  Donaho  from  bould- 
ers found  on  the  prairie  and  were  fashioned  with  tools  that 
Donaho  made  in  his  blacksmith  shop. 

That  mill  was  a  great  success  and  it  remained  the  center 
of  the  milling  industry  on  Grand  River  for  twelve  or  fifteen 
years.  Many  settlers  were  attracted  by  it  and  a  town  site 
was  surveyed  and  platted  and  Mill  Port  thus  became  the  first 
town  in  that  part  of  the  Grand  River  Country  and  was  getting 
along  famously  when  Daviess  county  was  organized  in  1836. 
Its  business  houses  relieved  the  settlers  from  the  need  of 
going  to  Missouri  River  points  for  supplies.  Its  sign  boards 
bore  the  names  of  John  A.  Williams,  grocer;  Milford  Donaho, 
blacksmith;  Jacobs  and  Lomax,  merchants;  Worthington  & 
McKinney,  merchants;  Morin  and  Compton,  merchants  and 
Jesse  Adamson,  grocer. 

Theodore  Peniston  became  the  first  sailor  to  clear  the 
port,  when  he  took  a  dug-out  load  of  honey,  beeswax,  skins, 
etc.,  down  Grand  River  to  its  junction  with  the  Missouri, 
where  he  disposed  of  his  little  cargo.     William  P.  Peniston 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  3 

built  and  took  out  the  first  flat  boat.     He  sailed  with  his 
flat  boat  load  all  the  way  to  St.  Louis. 

Mill  Port  was  on  the  east  side  of  Grand  River,  at  what 
is  still  known,  perhaps,  as  the  Peniston  Ford.  In  1837  the 
town  of  Gallatin  was  platted  just  three  miles  west  of  Mill 
Port.  The  latter  had  been  ambitious  to  become  the  county- 
seat  of  Daviess  county,  but  Gallatin  was  awarded  the  coveted 
honor  and  with  the  ascendency  of  Gallatin,  Mill  Port  rapidly 
faded  away  and  few  people  now  in  Daviess  county  know  that 
such  a  pioneer  town  ever  existed. 

FOUNDING  OF  ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN  AND  FAR  WEST. 

The  same  year  that  Gallatin  was  platted,  1837,  there 
came  to  Daviess  County  a  very  remarkable  man  in  the  per- 
son of  Lyman  Wight,  who  settled  upon  Grand  River  and 
founded  a  town  four  miles  south  and  one-half  mile  west  of 
Gallatin,  the  town  site  being  located  on  the  West  half  (}/^) 
of  the  Southwest  quarter  (J)  of  Section  Thirty  (30),  Town- 
ship Sixty  (60),  Range  Twenty-seven  (27).  Lyman  Wight 
came  originally  from  the  City  of  New  York,  where  he  served 
in  the  War  of  1812,  but  his  remarkable  career  of  sufferings 
and  achievements  for  his  religious  faith  commenced  with 
his  baptism  into  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day 
Saints  at  Warrensville,  Ohio,  by  Elder  Parley  P.  Pratt  on 
November  14,  1830.  He  was  ordained  an  Elder  on  Novem- 
ber 20,  1830,  and  in  the  June  conference  following  was  ordained 
a  high  priest  and  shortly  afterward  entered  upon  the  ministry 
at  Independence,  Missouri.  His  experiences  for  the  next 
seven  or  eight  years  are  summed  up  in  a  petition  filed  by  him 
in  1839  and  which  is  still  on  file  in  the  archives  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  which  reads  as  follows: 

"The  petition  of  Lyman  Wight  most  humbly  showeth  that 
petitioner  removed  from  the  State  of  Ohio  to  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri, in  the  year  1832  (1831),  where  I  hoped  to  live  in  peace,  but 
after  toiling  and  undergoing  all  the  hardships  of  a  new  country 
for  two  years,  and  suffering  many  privations  of  the  comforts  of 
life,  I  was  assailed  by  a  lawless  mob,  and  was  driven  from  my  house 
in  Jackson  County  to  Clay  County;  my  crops  and  all  other  prop- 


4  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

erty  I  possessed  were  taken  from  me,  except  a  small  part  of  house- 
hold furniture.  I  stayed  in  Clay  County  for  upwards  of  two  years, 
when  I  was  again  assailed  by  a  mob,  who  said  I  must  deny  my 
sentiments  of  religion  or  move  from  that  County,  but  rather  than 
deny  my  religion  or  be  put  to  death,  I  disposed  of  my  property 
at  a  low  rate,  and  removed  my  family  to  Davis  (Daviess)  County, 
located  myself  on  Grand  River,  made  an  improvement,  gained 
to  myself  a  preemption  right,  on  which  a  small  town  was  laid  off; 
it  was  then  worth  to  me  at  least  ten  thousand  dollars.  But  some- 
time in  the  month  of  September  last  I  was  ordered  to  leave  my 
possessions  again,  and  this  by  a  mob,  which  was  got  up  by  Sashel 
Wood  (a  Presbyterian  preacher),  and  Doctor  Craven  (who  have 
since  entered  my  lands)  without  any  other  consideration  than 
to  get  me  chained  up  in  prison  and  drive  my  family  from  the 
State  without  food  and  raiment  to  make  them  comfortable; 
they  kept  me  in  prison  for  six  months,  until  they  succeeded 
in  driving  every  man,  women  and  child  (who  professed  the  same 
religion  that  I  did)  out  of  the  State,  except  those  whom  they  mur- 
dered in  the  State,  although  they  have  never  been  able  to  sub- 
stantiate the  first  accusation  against  me,  yet  my  sufferings  for  seven 
years  have  been  more  severe  than  tongue  can  tell,  or  pen  write." 

However,  Lyman  Wight  was  not  the  only  party  who 
had  to  do  with  the  founding  and  naming  of  the  town  that  was 
thus  located  upon  his  land  and  which  town  was  to  become 
historic  in  the  annals  of  his  faith.  The  religious  organi- 
zation in  which  Lyman  Wight  had  membership,  com- 
monly known  as  the  Mormon  Church,  located  its  adminis- 
tration headquarters  in  Caldwell  county,  Missouri,  in  1837 
at  the  town  founded  by  it  and  named  Far  West.  It  was  at 
this  town  of  Far  West  that  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  the  prophet, 
declared  a  revelation  on  April  26, 1838,  which  revelation  defi- 
nitely fixed  the  name  of  the  church  and  also  directed  the 
prophet  to  do  certain  things  that  resulted  in  making  history 
for  Lyman  Wight's  town.     That  revelation  was  as  follows: 

Revelation  given  at  Far  West,  April  26,  1838,  making  Known 
the  Will  of  God  Concerning  the  Building  up  of  this  Place,  and  of 
The  Lord's  House,  etc: 

"Verily  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you,  my  servant,  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  and  also  my  servant  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  also  my 
servant  Hyrum  Smith,  and  your  counselors  who  are  and  shall 
be  appointed  hereafter;  and  also  unto  you  my  servant,  Edward 
Partridge,  and  his  counselors,  and  also  unto  my  faithful  servants 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  5 

who  are  of  the  High  Council  of  my  church  in  Zion  (for  thus  it  shall 
be  called),  and  unto  all  the  Elders  and  people  of  my  church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  scattered  abroad  in  all  the 
world;  for  this  shall  my  church  be  called  in  the  last  days,  even 
the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints.  Verily  I  say 
unto  you  all,  Arise  and  shine  forth,  that  thy  light  may  be  a  standard 
for  the  Nations,  and  that  the  gathering  together  upon  the  land  of 
Zion  and  upon  her  stakes  may  be  for  a  defense,  and  for  a  refuge 
from  the  storms,  and  from  wrath  when  it  shall  be  poured  out  with- 
out mixture  upon  the  whole  earth.  Let  the  city,  Far  West,  be 
a  holy  and  consecrated  land  unto  me,  and  it  shall  be  called  most 
holy,  for  the  ground  upon  which  thou  standeth  is  holy; 
therefore  I  command  you  to  build  an  house  unto  me,  for 
gathering  together  of  my  saints,  that  they  may  worship  me;  and 
let  there  be  a  beginning  of  this  work,  and  a  foundation,  and  a  pre- 
paratory work,  this  following  summer,  and  let  the  beginning  be  made 
on  the  4th  day  of  July  next  and  from  that  time  forth  let  my  peo- 
ple labor  diligently  to  build  an  house  unto  my  name,  and  in  one 
year  from  this  day  let  them  recommence  laying  the  foundation 
of  my  house;  thus  let  them  from  that  time  forth  labor  diligently 
until  it  shall  be  finished  from  the  corner  stone  thereof  unto  the 
top  thereof,  until  there  shall  not  anything  remain  that  is  not 
finished. 

"Verily  I  say  unto  you,  let  not  my  servant  Joseph,  neither 
my  servant  Sidney,  neither  my  servant  Hyrum,  get  in  debt  any 
more  for  the  building  of  an  house  unto  my  name;  but  let  a  house 
be  built  unto  my  name  according  to  the  pattern  which  I  will  show 
unto  them.  And  if  my  people  build  it  not  according  to  the  pattern 
which  I  will  show  unto  their  Presidency,  I  will  not  accept  it  at 
their  hands;  but  if  my  people  do  build  it  according  to  the  pattern 
which  I  shall  show  unto  their  Presidency,  even  my  servant  Jo- 
seph and  his  counselors,  then  I  will  accept  it  at  the  hands  of  my 
people.  And,  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you.  It  is  my  will  that 
the  city  of  Far  West  should  be  built  up  speedily  by  the  gather- 
ing of  my  saints,  and  also  that  other  places  should  be  appointed 
for  stakes  in  the  regions  round  about,  as  they  shall  be  manifest 
unto  my  servant  Joseph  from  time  to  time;  for  behold  I  will  be 
with  him,  and  I  will  sanctify  him  before  the  people,  for  unto  him, 
have  I  given  the  keys  of  this  kingdom  and  ministry.  Even  so. 
Amen."     (Millennial  Star,  vol.  16,  p.  p.  147,  148.) 

Pursuant  to  this  revelation,  the  prophet  proceeded 
to  the  appointment  of  other  places  for  stakes  in  the  region 
round  about.  His  exploring  trip  northwards  from  Far  West 
as  told  by  himself  in  The  History  of  the  Church  is  as  follows : 


6  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

"Friday,  May  18th,  1838,  I  left  Far  West  in  company  with 
Sidney  Rigdon,  T.  B.  Marsh,  D.  W.  Patten,  Bishop  Partridge, 
E.  Higbee,  S.  Carter,  Alanson  Ripley  and  many  others  for  the 
purpose  of  visiting  the  north  country,  and  laying  off  a  stake  of 
Zion,  making  locations,  and  laying  claims  to  facilitate  the  gather- 
ing of  the  Saints,  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor,  in  upbuilding 
the  Church  of  God.  We  traveled  to  the  mouth  of  Honey  Creek, 
which  is  a  tributary  of  Grand  River,  where  we  camped  for  the 
night.  We  passed  a  beautiful  country  of  land,  a  majority  of  which 
is  prairie  (untimbered  land),  and  thickly  covered  with  grass  and 
weeds,  among  which  is  plenty  of  game;  such  as  deer,  turkey,  hen, 
elk,  etc.  We  discovered  a  large  black  wolf,  and  my  dog  gave  him 
chase,  but  he  outran  us. 

We  have  nothing  to  fear  in  camping  out,  except  the  rattle- 
snake, which  is  natural  to  this  country,  though  not  very  numer- 
ous.    We  turned  our  horses  loose  and  let  them  feed  on  the  prairie. 

Saturday  19th  This  morning  we  struck  our  tents  and  formed 
a  line  of  march,  crossing  Grand  River  at  the  mouth  of  Honey 
Creek  and  Nelson's  Ferry.  Grand  River  is  a  large,  beautiful, 
deep,  and  rapid  stream  during  the  high  waters  of  spring,  and  will 
undoubtedly  admit  of  steam  boat  navigation  and  other  water 
craft;  and  at  the  mouth  of  Honey  Creek  are  a  splendid  harbor  and 
good  landing.  We  pursued  our  course  up  the  river,  mostly  in 
the  timber,  about  eighteen  miles,  when  we  arrived  at  Colonel 
Lyman  Wight's,  who  lives  at  the  foot  of  Tower  Hill  (a  name  I 
gave  it  in  consequence  of  the  remains  of  an  old  Nephite  altar  or 
tower),  where  we  camped  for  the  Sabbath. 

In  the  afternoon,  I  went  up  the  river  about  half  a  mile  to 
Wight's  Ferry,  accompanied  by  President  Ridgon  and  my  clerk, 
George  W.  Robinson,  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  and  laying 
claim  to  a  city  plat  near  said  ferry  in  Daviess  County,  Township 
60,  Ranges  27  and  28,  and  Sections  25,  36,  31  and  30,  which  the 
brethren  called  Spring  Hill:  hut  by  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  it  was  named 
Adam-ondi-Ahman,  because  said  he,  it  is  the  place  where  Adam 
shall  come  to  visit  his  people,  or  the  Ancient  of  Days  shall  sit,  as 
spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  Prophet." , 

Lyman  Wight  also  wrote  about  this  occasion  as  follows : 

"About  June,  Joseph  Smith,  together  with  many  others  of 
the  principal  men  of  the  church,  came  to  my  house,  and  taking 
a  view  of  the  large  bottom  in  the  bend  of  the  river,  and  the  beau- 
tiful prairies  on  the  bluffs,  came  to  the  conclusion,  that  it  would 
be  a  handsome  situation  for  a  town.  We,  therefore,  commenced 
siurveying  and  laying  off  town  lots,  and  locating  government  lands 
for  many  miles  north  of  this  place.     This  beautiful  country  with 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND   RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  7 

its  flattering  prospects  drew  in  floods  of  emigrants.  I  had  not 
less  than  thirty  comers  and  goers  through  the  day  during  the  three 
summer  months,  and  up  to  the  last  mentioned  date  (last  of  Octo- 
ber) there  were  upwards  of  two  hundred  houses  built  in  this  town, 
and  also  about  forty  families  living  in  their  wagons." 

On  June  28,  1838  a  stake  was  organized  here  of  which 
the  following  minutes  were  published: 

**Adam-ondi-Ahman,  Missouri,  Daviess  county,  June  28,  1838. 

A  conference  of  Elders  and  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints  was  held  in  this  place  this  day,  for 
the  purpose  of  organizing  this  stake  of  Zion,  called  Adam-ondi- 
Ahman. 

The  meeting  convened  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  in  the  grove  near 
the  house  of  Elder  Lyman  Wight. 

President  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  was  called  to  the  chair,  who 
explained  the  object  of  the  meeting  which  was  to  organize  a  Presi- 
dency and  High  Council,  to  preside  over  this  stake  of  Zion,  and 
attend  to  the  affairs  of  the  Church  in  Daviess  County. 

It  was  then  motioned,  seconded  and  carried  by  the  unani- 
mous voice  of  the  assembly,  that  President  John  Smith  should 
act  as  President  of  the  Stake  of  Adam-ondi-Ahman. 

Reynolds  Cahoon  was  unanimously  chosen  first  Counselor, 
and  Lyman  Wight  second  Counselor. 

After  prayer  the  President's  ordained  Elder  Wight  as  second 
counselor. 

Vinson  Knight  was  chosen  acting  bishop  pro  tempore,  by  the 
unanimous  voice  of  the  assembly. 

President  John  Smith  then  proceeded  to  organize  the  High 
Council. 

The  counselors  were  chosen  according  to  the  following  order, 
by  a  unanimous  vote;  John  Lemon,  1st;  Daniel  Stanton,  2nd; 
Mayhew  Hillman,  3rd;  Daniel  Carter,  4th;  Isaac  Perry,  5th; 
Harrison  Sagers,  6th;  Alanson  Brown,  7th;  Thomas  Gordon, 
8th;  Lorenzo  D.  Barnes,  9th;  George  A.  Smith,  10th;  Harvey 
Olmstead,  11th;  Ezra  Thayer,  12th. 

After  the  ordination  of  the  Counselors,  who  had  not  previ- 
ously been  ordained  to  the  high  priesthood,  President  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  made  remarks  by  way  of  charge  to  the  Presidents  and  Coun- 
selors, instructing  them  in  the  duties  of  their  callings,  and  the 
responsibiUty  of  their  stations,  exhorting  them  to  be  cautious  and 
deliberate  in  all  their  councils,  and  to  be  careful  and  act  in  righte- 
ousness in  all  things. 

President  John  Smith,  R.  Cahoon,  and  L.  Wight  then  made 
some  remarks. 


8  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

Lorenzo  D.  Barnes  was  unanimously  chosen  clerk  of  this 
council  and  stake,  and  after  singing  the  well-known  hymn,  Adam- 
ondi-Ahman,  the  meeting  closed  by  prayer  by  President  Gaboon, 
and  a  benediction  by  President  Joseph  Smith,  Jr. 

Lorenzo  D.  Barnes, 
Isaac  Perry,  Clerks. 

The  well  known  hymn  above  referred  to  was  perhaps 
sung  for  the  first  time  at  the  dedication  of  the  temple  at  Kirt- 
land,  Ohio,  in  1836.  Its  author  is  unknown,  but  the  words 
are  as  follows : 

"This  Earth  was  once  a  garden  place, 

With  all  her  glories  common; 
And  men  did  live  a  holy  race. 
And  worship  Jesus  face  to  face. 

In  Adam-ondi-Ahman. 

We  read  that  Enoch  walked  with  God, 

Above  the  pow'r  of  Mammon; 
While  Zion  spread  herself  abroad, 
And  Saints  and  angels  sang  aloud 

In  Adam-ondi-Ahman. 

Her  land  was  good  and  greatly  blest. 

Beyond  old  Israel's  Canaan; 
Her  fame  was  known  from  East  to  West; 
Her  peace  was  great,  and  pure  the  rest 

Of  Adam-ondi-Ahman. 

Hosanna  to  such  days  to  come — 

The  savior's  second  coming — 
When  all  the  Earth  in  glorious  bloom. 
Affords  the  saints  a  holy  home, 

Like  Adam-ondi-Ahman." 

MORMAN  TROUBLE  IN  DAVIESS  COUNTY. 

So  auspiciously  did  the  career  of  Adam-ondi-Ahman  be- 
gin that  Joseph  H.  McGee  informs  us  that  it  had  over  five 
hundred  inhabitants  when  Gallatin  had  but  four  houses,  and 
it  threatened  to  rival  Far  West  and  probably  would  have 
done  so  had  not  a  state  of  civil  strife  ensued  that  resulted  in 
the  expulsion  of  all  of  the  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints  from  the  State  of  Missouri. 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND   RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  9 

This  state  of  war  had  its  inception  in  a  fight  at  the  general 
election  held  in  Gallatin  on  August  6,  1838,  on  which  occa- 
sion an  attempt  was  made  to  keep  the  "Mormons"  from  vot- 
ing. Major  Joseph  H.  McGee  witnessed  that  election  fight 
and  he  tells  the  story  in  the  following  words: 

"My  first  visit  to  Gallatin  was  in  1838,  August  6th.  My 
father  and  I  came  to  town  to  attend  the  general  election  held  on 
that  day.  This  proved  to  be  a  historical  day  as  the  great  knock 
down  between  the  Mormons  and  the  Missourians  took  place 
on  that  day.  I  had  been  with  my  father  at  many  an  election  in 
Ohio,  but  I  never  saw  him  so  peaceably  inclined  at  an  election 
before. 

"There  was  a  big  pile  of  house  logs  piled  up  in  front  of  the 
little  cabin  where  they  were  voting.  My  father  and  I  climbed 
to  the  very  top  of  that  pile  of  logs  and  witnessed  the  whole  battle. 
I  had  witnessed  many  knock  downs  in  my  time,  but  none  on  so 
grand  a  scale.  Pistols  were  not  used.  Rocks  and  clubs  were  in 
demand,  and  an  occasional  butcher  knife  slipped  in.  Men  dropped 
on  all  sides. 

"I  saw  one  poor  Mormon  trying  to  make  his  escape  from  two 
Missourians  who  were  pursuing  him.  He  had  a  butcher  knife 
sticking  between  his  shoulders.  They  would  no  doubt  have  suc- 
ceeded in  capturing  him  had  not  another  Mormon  by  the  name  of 
John  L.  Butler  seized  a  big  club  and  rushing  in  between  them 
and  their  victim  dealt  them  such  blows  that  he  felled  them  both 
to  the  earth  and  allowed  the  Mormon,  whose  name  was  Murphy, 
to  escape.  The  Missourians  proved  victorious  and  the  Mormons 
had  to  leave.  After  the  fight  was  over  my  father  and  I  got  into 
our  wagon  and  returned  home.  This  was  my  first  debut  in  Galla- 
tin. All  the  Mormons  who  took  part  in  this  fight  left  the  county 
that  night  and  moved  their  families  to  Far  West  in  Caldwell 
County — this  being  the  stronghold  of  the  Mormons." 

A  more  complete  story  of  this  fight  from  the  pen  of 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.  (The  Prophet,)  has  been  preserved  to  us 
in  the  following  words: 

"Some  two  weeks  previous  to  this  Judge  Morin,  who  lived 
at  Millport,  informed  John  D.  Lee  and  Levi  Stewart  that  it  was 
determined  by  the  mob  to  prevent  the  "Mormons"  from  voting 
at  the  election  on  the  sixth  day  of  August,  and  thereby  elect  Colonel 
William  P.  Peniston,  who  led  the  mob  in  Clay  County.  He  also 
advised  them  to  go  prepared  for  an  attack,  to  stand  their  ground 
and  have  their  rights. 


10  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

"The  brethren  hoping  better  things  gave  little  heed  to  Judge 
Morin's  friendly  counsel,  and  repaired  to  the  polls  at  Gallatin, 
the  shire  town  of  Daviess  County,  without  weapons.  About 
eleven  o'clock  A.  M.  William  P.  Peniston  ascended  the  head  of 
a  barrel  and  harrangued  the  electors  for  the  purpose  of  exciting 
them  against  the  "Mormons,*'  saying  that  the  "Mormon"  leaders 
were  a  set  of  horse  thieves,  liars,  counterfeiters,  etc.,  and  you 
know  they  profess  to  heal  the  sick,  cast  out  devils,  etc.;  and  you 
know  that  is  a  d —  lie;  that  the  members  of  the  church  were  dupes, 
and  not  too  good  to  take  a  false  oath  on  any  common  occasion; 
that  they  would  steal,  and  he  did  not  conceive  property  safe  where 
they  were;  that  he  was  opposed  to  their  settling  there;  and  if  they 
suffered  the  "Mormons"  to  vote,  the  people  would  soon  lose  their 
suffrage;  and  said  he,  addressing  the  saints,  I  headed  a  mob  to 
drive  you  out  of  Clay  County,  and  would  not  prevent  your  being 
mobbed  now;  when  Richard  (called  Dick)  Welding,  the  mob  bully, 
just  drunk  enough  for  the  occasion,  began  a  discussion  with  Bro- 
ther Samuel  Brown  by  saying;  The  Mormons  were  not  allowed 
to  vote  in  Clay  County,  no  more  than  the  d —  negroes,  and  at- 
tempted to  strike  Brown,  who  gradually  retreated,  parrying  the 
blow  with  his  umbrella,  while  Welding  continued  to  press  upon 

him,  calling  him  a  liar,  etc.,  and  attempting    to    repeat 

the  blow  on  Brown. 

"Perry  Durphy  attempted  to  suppress  the  difficulty  by  hold- 
ing Dick's  arm,  when  five  or  six  of  the  mobbers  seized  Durphy 
and  commenced  beating  him  with  clubs,  boards,  etc.,  and  crying 

"Kill  him,  kill  him, him,  kill  him."     When  a  general 

scuffle  commenced  with  fists  and  clubs,  the  mobbers  being  about 
ten  to  one  of  the  saints.  Abraham  Nelson  was  knocked  down  and 
had  his  clothes  torn  off  and  while  trying  to  get  up  was  attacked 
again,  when  his  brother  Hyram  Nelson,  ran  in  amongst  them 
and  knocked  the  mobbers  down  with  the  butt  of  his  whip.  Riley 
Stewart  struck  Dick  Welding  on  the  head  which  brought  him  to 
the  ground.  The  mob  cried  out,  "Dick  Welding's  dead,  by  — ; 
who  killed  Dick?"     And  they  fell  upon  Riley,  knocked  him  down, 

kicked  him,  and  hallowed,  "Kill  him, him,  kill  him;   shoot 

him,  by  —  ;"  and  would  have  killed  him,  had  not  John  L.  Butler 
sprung  in  amongst  them  and  knocked  them  down.  During  about 
five  minutes  it  was  one  continued  knock  down,  when  the  mob 
dispersed  to  get  firearms.  Very  few  of  the  brethren  voted.  Riley, 
escaping  across  the  river,  had  his  wounds  dressed  and  returned 
home.  Butler  called  the  brethren  together  and  made  a  speech 
saying,  "We  are  American  Citizens;  our  fathers  fought  for  their 
liberty,  and  we  will  maintain  the  same  principles,  etc."  When 
the  authorities  of  the  county  came  to  them  and  requested  them  to 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  11 

withdraw,  stating  that  it  was  a  premeditated  thing  to  prevent  the 
"Mormons"  voting. 

"The  brethren  held  a  council  about  one  fourth  of  a  mile  out 
of  town  where  they  saw  mobbing  recruits  coming  in,  in  small  par- 
ties from  five  and  to  twenty-five  in  number,  armed  with  clubs, 
pistols,  dirks,  knives,  and  some  guns,  cursing  and  swearing.  The 
brethren  not  having  arms,  thought  it  wisdom  to  return  to  their 
farms,  collect  their  families  and  hide  them  in  a  thicket  of  hazel 
bush,  which  they  did,  and  stood  sentry  around  them  through 
the  night,  while  the  women  and  children  lay  on  the  ground  in  the 
rain. 

"Tuesday  morning,  7th.  A  report  came  to  Far  West,  by  way 
of  those  not  belonging  to  the  church,  that  at  the  elction  at  Gallatin 
yesterday  two  or  three  of  our  brethren  were  killed  by  the  Missour- 
ians,  and  left  upon  the  ground,  and  not  suffered  to  be  interred; 
that  the  brethren  were  prevented  from  voting,  and  a  majority  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Daviess  County  were  determined  to  drive  the 
saints  from  the  county. 

"On  hearing  this  report  I  started  for  Gallatin  to  assist  the 
brethren,  accompanied  by  President  Rigdon,  Brother  Hyrum  Smith 
and  fifteen  or  twenty  others,  who  were  armed  for  their  own  pro- 
tection, and  the  command  was  given  to  George  W.  Robinson. 

"On  our  way  we  were  joined  by  the  brethren  from  different 
parts  of  the  country  some  of  whom  were  attacked  by  the  mob,  but 
we  found  some  of  the  brethren  who  had  been  mobbed  at  Gallatin, 
with  others,  waiting  for  our  counsel.  Here  we  received  the  cheering 
intelligence  that  none  of  the  brethren  were  killed,  although  several 
were  badly  wounded. 

"From  the  best  information  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
Missourians  warred  against  from  six  to  twelve  of  or  brethren,  who 
fought  like  lions.  Several  Missourians  had  their  skulls  cracked. 
Blessed  be  the  memory  of  those  few  brethren  who  contended  so 
strenuously  for  their  constitutional  rights  and  religious  freedom, 
against  such  an  overwhelming  force  of  desperadoes. 

*' Wednesday,  ^th.  After  spending  the  night  in  counsel  at 
Colonel  Wight's  I  rode  out  with  some  of  the  brethren  to  view  the 
situation  of  affairs  in  the  region,  and,  among  others  called  on  Adam 
Black,  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Judge  elect  of  Daviess  County,  who 
had  some  time  previous  sold  his  farm  to  Brother  Vinson  Knight, 
and  received  part  pay  according  to  agreement,  and  afterwards 
united  himself  with  a  band  of  mobbers  to  drive  the  saints  from  and 
prevent  their  settling  in  Daviess  County.  On  interrogation  he 
confessed  what  he  had  done,  and  in  consequence  of  this  violation  of 
his  oath  as  magistrate  we  asked  him  to  give  us  some  satisfaction  so 
that  we  might  know  whether  he  was  our  friend  or  enemy,  whether 


12  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

he  would  administer  the  law  in  justice;  and  politely  requested  him 
to  sign  an  agreement  of  peace.  But  being  jealous,  he  would 
not  sign  it,  but  said  he  would  write  one  himself  to  our  satisfaction, 
and  sign  it,  which  he  did  ,as  follows:  * 

*I,  Adam  Black,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  of  Daviess  County,  do 
hereby  Sertify  to  the  people  coled  Mormin,  that  he  is  bound  to  sup- 
port the  constitution  of  this  State,  and  of  the  United  State,  and  he 
is  not  attached  to  any  mob,  nor  will  not  attach  himself  to  any  such 
people,  and  so  long  as  they  will  not  molest  me,  I  will  not  molest 
them.     This  the  8th  day  of  August,  1838. 

Adam  Black,  J.  P.' 

"Hoping  he  would  abide  his  own  decision  and  support  the  law, 
we  left  him  in  peace,  and  returned  to  Colonel  Wight's  at  Adam- 
ondi-Ahman. 

"In  the  evening  some  of  the  citizens  from  Millport  called  on 
us,  and  we  agreed  to  meet  some  of  the  principal  men  of  the  county 
\\x  council  at  Adam-ondi-Ahman  the  next  day  at  twelve  o'clock. 

"The  Committee  assembled  at  Adam-ondi-Ahman  at  twelve 
according  to  previous  appointment;  viz:  on  the  part  of  citizens, 
Joseph  Morin,  Senator  Elect;  John  Williams,  representative  elect; 
James  B.  Turner,  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and  others;  on  the  part 
of  the  saints,  Lyman  Wight,  Vinson  Knight,  John  Smith,  Reynolds 
Cahoon,  and  others.  At  this  meeting  both  parties  entered  into  a 
covenant  of  peace,  to  preserve  each  other's  rights,  and  stand  in 
their  defense;  that  if  men  should  do  wrong,  neither  party  should 
uphold  them  or  endeavor  to  screen  them  from  justice,  but  deliver 
up  all  offenders  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  law  and  justice.  The 
assembly  dispersed  on  these  friendly  terms,  myself  and  friends 
returning  to  Far  West,  where  we  arrived  about  midnight  and  found 
all  quiet. 

"The  spirit  of  moberacy  continued  to  stalk  abroad,  notwith- 
standing all  our  treaties  of  peace,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following 
affidavit: 

'State  of  Missouri,  Ray  County. 
Personally  appeared  before  me,  the  undersigned,  Jlidge  of  the  Fifth 
Judici^  Circuit,  William  P.  Peniston,  and  makes  oath  that  he  has 
good  reason  to  believe  and  that  he  verily  does  believe,  that  there  is 
now  collected  and  embodied  in  the  County  of  Daviess,  a  large  body 
of  armed  men,  whose  movements  and  conduct  are  of  a  highly  in- 
surrectionary and  unlawful  character;  that  they  consist  of  about 
five  hundred  men,  and  that  they,  or  part  of  them,  to  the  number  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty,  have  committed  violence  against  Adam 
Black,  by  surrounding  his  house  ana  taking  him  in  a  violent  manner 
and  subjecting  him  to  great  indignities,  by  forcing  him  under  threats 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         13 

of  immediate  death  to  sign  a  paper  writing  of  a  very  disgraceful 
character,  and  by  threatening  to  do  the  same  to  all  the  old  settlers 
and  citizens  of  Daviess  County;  and  that  they  have,  as  a  collected 
and  armed  body,  threatened  to  put  to  instant  death  this  affiant  on 
sight;  and  that  he  verily  believes  they  will  aecompy,sh  that  act 
without  they  are  prevented;  and  also  they  have  threatened  the 
same  to  William  Bowman  and  others;  and  this  affiant  states  that  he 
verily  believes  all  the  above  facts  to  be  true,  and  that  the  body  of 
men  now  assembled  do  intend  to  commit  great  violen«e  to  many  of 
the  citizens  of  Daviess  County,  and  that  they  have  already  done  so 
to  Adam  Black;  and  this  affiant  verily  believes,  from  information  of 
others  that  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  Lyman  Wight  are  the  leaders  of 
this  body  of  armed  men,  and  the  names  of  others  there  combined 
are  not  certainly  known  to  the  affiant  and  he  further  stated  the 
fact  to  be  that  it  is  his  opinion,  and  he  verily  believes  that  it  is  the 
object  of  this  body  of  armed  men  to  take  vengeance  for  some  injur- 
ies, or  imaginary  injuries  done  to  some  of  their  friends,  and  to  in- 
timidate and  drive  from  the  county  all  the  old  citizens,  and  possess 
themselves  of  their  lands,  or  to  force  such  as  do  not  leave  to  come 
into  their  measures  and  submit  to  their  dictation. 

William     P.     Peniston. 
Sworn  to  and  subscribed,  the  10  day  of  August  1838. 

Austin   A.    King. 

"The  above  was  also  sworn  to  by  William  Bowman,  Wilson 
McKinney,  and  John  Netherton,  so  it  is  that  when  Men's  hearts 
become  so  hard  and  corrupt  as  to  glory  in  devising,  robbing,  plun- 
dering, mobbing,  and  murdering  innocent  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren by  wholesale,  they  will  more  readily  swear  to  lies  than  speak 
the  truth. 

"At  the  time  some  of  the  brethren  had  removed  with  their 
families  from  the  vicinity  of  Gallatin,  to  Diahman  and  Far  West,  for 
safety. 

''Saturday,  11th.  The  morning  I  left  Far  West  with  my 
council  and  Elder  Almon  W.  Babbitt,  to  visit  the  brethren  on  the 
forks  of  Grand  River,  who  had  come  from  Canada  with  Elder 
Babbitt,  and  settled  at  that  place  contrary  to  counsel. 

"In  the  afternoon,  after  my  departure,  a  committee  from  Ray 
County  arrived  at  Far  West  to  inquire  into  the  proceedings  of  our 
society  in  going  armed  into  Daviess  County,  complaint  having  been 
entered  in  Ray  County  by  Adam  Black,  William  P.  Peniston,  and 
others.  The  committee  from  Ray  requested  an  interview  with  a 
committee lof  Caldwell,  and  a  general  meeting  was  called  at  the 
City  Hall  at  six  in  the  evening,  when  it  was  stated  that  they  were 
assembled  to  take  into  consideration  the  doings  of  the  citizens  of 


14  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

Ray  County,  wherein  they  have  accused  the  'Mormons'  of  this 
place  of  breaking  the  peace,  in  defending  their  rights  and  those 
of  their  brethren  in  the  county  of  Daviess,  and  the  meeting  or- 
ganized by  appointing  Bishop  E.  Partridge  Chairman  and  George 
W.  Robinson,  Clerk. 

'Resolved,  1st.  That  a  Committee  of  seven  be  appointed  to 
confer  with  the  Committee  from  Ray. 

Resolved,  2nd.  That  this  Committee  with  their  secretary  be 
authorized  to  answer  such  questions  as  may  be  offered  by  the  com- 
mittee from  Ray,  and  as  are  named  in  the  document  presented  this 
meeting,  purporting  to  be  the  preamble  and  resolutions  of  the  citizen 
of  Ray. 

Resolved,  3rd.  That  whereas  the  document  referred  to  has 
no  date  or  signature,  our  Committee  judge  of  the  fact,  and  act 
accordingly. 

Resolved,  4th.  That  our  Committee  report  their  proceedings 
to  this  meeting  as  soon  as  possible. 

Edward    Partridge,     Chairman, 
George  W.  Robinson,  Clerk.' 

"Sunday,  12lh.  I  continued  with  the  brethren  at  the  forks  of 
Grand  River,  offering  such  counsel  as  their  situation  required. 

"Monday,  13th.  I  returned  with  my  council  to  Far  West. 
We  were  chased  by  some  evil  designing  men,  ten  or  twelve  miles, 
but  we  eluded  their  grasp,  when  within  about  eight  miles  of  home 
we  met  some  brethren  who  had  come  to  inform  us  that  a  writ  had 
been  issued  by  Judge  King  for  my  arrest  and  that  of  Lyman  Wight, 
for  attempting  to  defend  our  rights  against  the  mob. 

"Thursday,  16th.  I  spent  principally  at  home.  The  Sheriff 
of  Daviess,  accompanied  by  Judge  Morin,  called  and  notified  me 
that  he  had  a  writ  for  to  take  me  to  Daviess  County  on  trial  for 
visiting  that  county  on  the  seventh  instant. 

"It  had  been  currently  reported  that  I  would  not  be  appre- 
hended by  legal  process,  and  that  I  would  not  submit  to  the  laws  of 
the  land;  but  I  told  the  Sheriff  that  I  calculated  always  to  submit  to 
the  laws  of  our  country,  but  I  wished  to  be  tried  in  my  own  county, 
as  the  citizens  of  Daviess  County  were  highly  exasperated  at  me, 
and  that  the  laws  of  the  country  gave  me  this  privilege.  Upon 
hearing  this  the  sheriff  declined,  serving  the  writ  and  said  he  would 
go  to  Richmond  and  see  Judge  King  on  the  subject.  I  told  him  I 
would  remain  at  home  until  his  return. 

"The  sheriff  returned  from  Richmond  and  found  me  at  horn* 
(where  I  had  remained  during  his  absence)  and  informed  me  very 
gravely  that  I  was  out  of  his  jurisdiction,  and  that  he  could  not  act 
in  Caldwell,  and  retired."  {MiUenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  pp.  222,  229- 
231.) 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND   RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.        15 

Shortly  after  the  above  occurred,  Adam  Black,  Justice 
of  the  Peace  above  referred  to,  executed  and  filed  with  the 
State  authorities  the  following  affidavit; 

"Stateof  Missouri,    1 

\  SS. 
County  of  Daviess] 

Before  William  Dryden,  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  in 
said  county,  personally  came  Adam  Black,  who  being  duly  sworn 
according  to  law,  deposeth  and  saith;  That  on  or  about  the  8th  day 
of  August,  1838,  in  the  County  of  Daviess,  there  came  an  armed 
force  of  men,  said  to  be  one  hundred  and  fifty-four,  to  the  best  of 
my  information,  and  surrounded  his  house  and  family  and  threat- 
ened him  with  instant  death  if  he  did  not  sign  a  certain  instrument 
of  writing,  binding  himself,  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  said  County 
of  Daviess,  not  to  molest  the  people  called  Mormons;  and  threat- 
ened the  lives  of  myself  and  other  individuals,  and  did  say  they  in- 
tended to  make  every  citizen  sign  such  obUgation,  and  further  said 
they  intended  to  have  satisfaction  for  abuse  they  had  received  on 
Monday  previous,  and  they  could  not  submit  to  the  laws;  and  fur- 
ther saith;  that  from  the  best  information  and  his  own  personal 
knowledge,  that  Andrew  Ripley,  George  A.  Smith,  Ephriam  Owens, 
Harvey  Humstead,  Hiram  Nelson,  A.  Brown,  John  L.  Butler, 
CorneUus  Lott,  John  Wood,  H.  Redfield,  Riley  Stewart,  James 
Whitaker,  Andrew  Thor,  Amos  Tubbs,  Dr.  Gourze  and  Abram 
Kelson,  was  guilty  of  aiding  and  abetting  in  committing  and  per- 
petrating the  above  offense. 

Adam  Black. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed  this  the  28th  day  of  August,  1838. 

W.  Dryden,  Justice  of  the  Peace  of  the 
County  aforesaid." 

On  Sunday,  September  2,  1838,  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  sent 
for  General  David  R.  Atchison  of  Liberty,  Missouri,  who  was 
in  command  of  a  division  of  the  Missouri  State  Militia  with 
the  rank  of  Major  General,  and  who  was  also  one  of  the 
ablest  lawyers  in  the  state,  in  the  hopes  that  his  presence 
and  advice  at  Far  West  would  result  in  a  cessation  of  the  prep- 
aration for  hostilities  then  going  on  in  Daviess  county.  At 
the  same  time  a  letter  was  dispatched  by  Smith  to  Circuit 
Judge  Austin  A.  King  praying  the  latter  to  assist  in  putting 
down  what  "the  prophet"  termed  "the  mob"  then  collecting 
in  Daviess  county.     General  Atchison  arrived  in  Far  West 


16  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

the  next  night  and  was  employed,  along  with  his  partner 
Alexander  W.  Doniphan,  as  legal  counsel  by  the  Mormons. 
The  first  Presidency  of  the  Church  at  that  time  consist- 
ed of  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Hyrum  Smith, 
and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  President  Joseph  Smith,  Jr., 
and  Sidney  Rigdon  commenced  the  study  of  law  on  Sept. 
4,  1838,  and  that  on  the  same  date  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and 
Lyman  Wight  volunteered  to  surrender  themselves  for  a  pre- 
liminary hearing  before  Judge  Austin  A.  King  in  Daviess 
county.  Accordingly  it  was  arranged  that  the  preliminary 
hearing  was  to  be  conducted  by  Judge  King  at  the  farm  resi- 
dence of  a  Mr.  Littlefield's  in  the  Southern  part  of  Daviess 
county,  near  the  present  site  of  Winston.  On  Wednesday, 
September  5,  Joseph  Smith  executed  the  following  affidavit: 


'STATE  OF  MISSOURI 


\  SS. 


CALDWELL  COUNTY,  , 

"Before  me,  Ellas  Higbee,  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  County 
Court,  within  and  for  the  County  of  Caldwell  aforesaid,  personally 
came  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  who,  saith:  That  on  the  seventh  day  of 
August,  1838,  being  informed  that  an  affray  had  taken  place  in 
Daviess  County  at  the  election  in  the  town  of  Gallatin,  in  which 
two  persons  were  killed  and  one  person  was  badly  wounded,  and 
had  fled  to  the  woods  to  save  his  life;  all  of  which  werersaid  to  be 
persons  belonging  to  the  society  of  the  Church  of  Latter  Day  Saints; 
and  further,  said  informant  stated  that  those  persons  who  com- 
mitted the  outrage  would  not  suffer  the  bodies  of  those  who  had 
been  killed  to  be  taken  off  the  ground  and  buried. 

"These  reports,  with  others,  one  of  which  was  that  the  saints 
had  not  the  privilege  of  voting  at  the  polls  as  other  citizens;  another 
was  that  those  opposed  to  the  saints  were  determined  to  drive  them 
from  Daviess  County,  and  also  that  they  were  arming  and  strength- 
ening their  forces  and  preparing  for  battle;  and  that  the  saints 
were  preparing  and  working  ready  to  stand  in  self  defense:  these 
reports  having  excited  the  feelings  of  the  citizens  of  Far  West  and 
vicinity,  I  was  invited  by  Dr.  Avard  and  some  others  to  go  out  to 
Daviess  County  to  the  scene  of  these  outrages;  they  having  pre- 
viously determined  to  go  out  and  learn  the  facts  concerning  said 
reports. 

"Accordingly  some  of  the  citizens,  myself  among  the  numbee 
went  out,  two,  three  and  four  in  companies,  as  they  got  rea  dy.     The 


MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW.  17 

reports  and  excitement  continued  until  several  of  those  small  com- 
panies through  the  day  were  induced  to  follow  the  first,  who  were 
all  eager  to  learn  the  facts  concerning  this  matter.  We  arrived  in 
the  evening  at  the  house  of  Lyman  Wight  about  three  miles  from 
Gallatin,  the  scene  of  the  reported  outrages.  Here  we  learned  the 
truth  concerning  the  said  affray,  which  had  been  considerably 
exaggerated,  yet  there  had  been  a  serious  outrage  committed. 

"We  there  learned  that  the  mob  was  collected  at  Millport,  to 
a  considerable  number;  that  Adam  Black  was  at  their  head;  and 
were  to  attack  the  Saints  the  next  day,  at  the  place  we  then  were, 
called  Adam-ondi-Ahman.  This  report  we  were  still  inclined  to 
believe  might  be  true,  as  this  Adam  Black,  who  was  said  to  be  their 
leader,  had  been,  but  a  few  months  before  engaged  in  endeavoring 
to  drive  those  of  the  society,  who  had  settled  in  that  vicinity,  from 
the  county.  This  had  become  notorious  from  the  fact  that  said 
Black  had  personally  ordered  several  of  said  society  to  leave  the 
county. 

"The  next  morning  we  dispatched  a  committee  to  said  Black's 
to  ascertain  the  truth  of  these  reports,  and  to  know  what  his  in- 
tentions were,  and  as  we  understood  he  was  a  peace  officer,  we 
wished  to  know  what  we  might  expect  from  him.  They  reported 
that  Mr.  Black  instead  of  giving  them  any  assurance  of  peace  in- 
sulted them  and  gave  them  no  satisfaction.  Being  desirous  of 
knowing  the  feelings  of  Mr.  Black  for  myself,  and  being  in  want  of 
good  water,  and  understanding  that  there  was  none  nearer  than 
Mr.  Black's  spring,  myself  with  several  others  mounted  our  horses 
and  rode  off  to  Mr.  Black's  fence. 

"Dr.  Avard,  with  one  or  two  others  who  had  rode  ahead,  went 
into  Mr.  Black's  house;  myself  and  some  others  went  to  the  spring 
for  water.  I  was  shortly  after  sent  for  by  Mr.  Black  and  invited 
into  the  house,  being  introduced  to  Mr.  Black  by  Dr.  Avard.  Mr. 
Black  wished  me  to  be  seated.  We  then  commenced  a  conversation 
on  the  subject  of  the  late  difficulties  and  present  excitement.  I 
found  Mr.  Black  quite  hostile  in  his  feelings  toward  the  Saints,  but 
he  assured  us  he  did  not  belong  to  the  mob,  neither  would  he  take 
any  part  with  them;  but  said  he  was  bound  by  his  oath  to  support 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Missouri.  Deponent  then  asked  him  if  he  would  make  said  state- 
ment in  writing  so  as  to  refute  the  arguments  of  those  who  had 
affirmed  that  he  (Black)  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  mob.  Mr. 
Black  answered  in  the  affirmative.  Accordingly  he  did  so,  which 
writing  is  in  possession  of  the  deponent. 

"The  deponent  further  saith  that  no  violence  was  offered  to 
any  individual  in  his  presence  or  within  his  knowledge;  and  that  no 
insulting  language  was  given  by  either  party,  except  on  the  part  of 

G  R— 2 


18       EARLY   DAYS    ON   GRAND    RIVER   AND   MORMON   WAR. 

Mrs.  Black,  who,  while  Mr.  Black  was  engaged  in  making  out  the 
above  named  writing  (which  he  made  with  his  own  hand),  gave  to 
the  deponent  and  others  of  this  society  highly  insulting  language 
and  false  accusations,  which  were  calculated  in  their  nature  to  great- 
ly irritate,  if  possible,  the  feelings  of  the  bystanders  belonging  to 
said  society,  in  language  like  this:  Being  asked  by  the  deponent  if 
she  knew  anything  in  the  "Mormon"  people  derogatory  to  the 
character  of  gentlemen,  she  answered  in  the  negative,  but  said  she 
did  not  know  but  that  the  object  of  their  visit  was  to  steal  something 
from  them.  After  Mr.  Black  had  executed  the  writing  deponent 
asked  Mr.  Black  if  he  had  any  unfriendly  feelings  towards  the  de- 
ponent, and  if  he  had  not  treated  him  genteelly.  He  answered  in 
the  affirmative.  Deponent  then  took  leave  of  said  Black  and 
repaired  to  the  house  of  Lyman  Wight.  The  next  day  we  returned 
to  Far  West,  and  further  this  deponent  saith  not. 

Joseph   Smith,  Jr. 
Sworn  to  and  subscribed  this  fifth  day  of  September  A.  D.  1838. 

Elias  Higbee,  J.  C.  C.  C.  C." 

Judge  King  opened  court  for  the  preliminary  hearing 
of  Smith  and  Wight  at  the  Littlefield  home  on  September 
6,  but  no  testimony  was  taken  and  the  causes  were  continued 
over  till  10  o'clock  the  next  morning.  The  hearings  to  be  had 
at  a  Mr.  Raglins  some  six  or  eight  miles  further  south  and 
within  a  half  mile  of  the  Caldwell  county  line.  The  court 
convened  at  Mr.  Raglin's  the  next  morning.  William  P. 
Peniston  was  the  prosecutor,  Adam  Black  was  the  sole  witness 
for  the  State.  The  defense  introduced  the  testimony  of 
Dimick  B.  Huntington,  Gideon  Carter,  Adam  Lightner,  and 
George  W.  Robinson.  The  result  of  the  matter  was  that 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  Lyman  Wight  were  bound  over  to 
court  in  a  five  hundred  dollar  bond. 

A  committee  of  inquiry  from  Chariton  county  arrived 
in  Far  West  on  September  8th  and  after  listening  to  the 
statements  made  by  General  Atchison  and  the  Presidency 
returned  to  their  homes. 

About  this  time  it  became  known  in  Far  West  that  a 
wagon-load  of  firearms  was  being  transported  from  Richmond, 
Missouri,  to  Daviess  county,  and  the  Mormon  Civil  authori- 
ties in  Far  West  concluded  to  intercept  them,  a  writ  was  placed 
in  the  hands  of  William  Allred,  who  with  ten  mounted  men 


MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW.  19 

surrounded  the  wagon  and  after  placing  John  B.  Comer, 
WilHam  L.  McHaney  and  Allen  Miller  under  arrest,  brought 
the  prisoners,  with  their  wagon-load  of  guns,  into  Far  West. 
These  men  were  held  as  prisoners  till  Sept.  12th  on  which 
date  they  were  given  a  preliminary  hearing  in  Far  West 
and  bound  over  for  their  appearance  at  Circuit  Court, — John 
B.  Comer  to  answer  to  a  charge  of  "attempting  to  smuggle 
arms  to  a  mob;"the  other  men  being  held  as  his  accomplices — 
at  least  that  is  the  statement  made  in  the  History  of  the 
Church. 

The  arrest  of  these  three  men  created  great  excitement. 
The  Saints  petitioned  the  Governor  of  Missouri  at  once  for 
protection,  while  the  Missourians  petitioned  the  Governor 
to  drive  all  Mormons  from  the  state. 

On  September  11,  General  Atchison  in  his  military 
capacity  ordered  the  militia  to  march  immediately  to  the 
scene  of  excitement  and  insurrection.  This  order  being 
given  by  Major  General  Atchison  to  his  law  partner  Briga- 
dier General  Doniphan.  The  latter  acted  with  alacrity 
as  evidenced  by  the  following  report: 

"Headquarters  1st  Brigade,  3rd  Division,  Missouri, 
Military   Camp   at   Grand   River. 
September  15,  1838. 
Major  General  David  R.  Atchison, 

Commanding  3rd  Division  Missouri  Militia. 
Sir: 

"In  pursuance  to  your  order  dated  11th  inst.  I  issued  orders  to 
Colonel  William  A.  Dunn,  Commanding  the  28th  Regiment,  to 
raise  four  companies  of  mounted  riflemen,  consisting  of  fifty  men 
each,  also  to  Colonel  Boulware  commanding  70th  regiment,  to  raise 
two  companies  of  mounted  riflemen,  consisting  each  of  like  numbers, 
to  start  forthwith  for  service  in  the  counties  of  Caldwell  and  Da- 
viess. 

"On  the  same  day  Colonel  Dunn  obtained  the  four  companies 
of  volunteers  required  from  the  28th  regiment,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  12th  I  took  command  in  person  and  marched  to  the  line  of 
Caldwell,  at  which  point  I  ordered  the  Colonels  to  march  the  regi- 
ments to  the  timber  on  Crooked  River.  I  then  started  for  Far 
West,  the  county  seat  of  Caldwell,  accompanied  by  my  aid  alone. 

"On  arriving  at  that  place  I  found  Comer,  Miller  and  Mc- 
Haney, the  prisoners  mentioned  in  your  order.     I  demanded  of  the 


20      EARLY  DAYS   ON   GRAND   RIVER  AND   MORMON   WAR. 

guard  who  had  them  in  confinement  to  deliver  them  over  to  me, 
which  he  promptly  done.  I  also  found  that  the  guns  that  had  been 
captured  by  the  Sheriff  and  citizens  of  Caldwell  had  been  distributed 
and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  soldiery  and  scattered  over  the  coun- 
try; I  ordered  them  to  be  immediately  collected  and  delivered  up 
to  me. 

"I  then  sent  an  express  to  Colonel  Dunn  to  march  the  regiment 
by  daylight  for  that  place,  where  he  arrived  about  seven  a.  m., 
making  forty  miles  since  ten  o'clock  a.  m.  on  the  previous  day. 

"When  my  command  arrived,  the  guns  were  delivered  up, 
amounting  to  forty-two  stand;  three  stand  could  not  be  produced,  as 
they  had  probably  gone  to  Daviess  County.  I  sent  these  guns 
under  a  guard  to  your  command  in  Ray  County,  together  with  the 
prisoner  Comer;  the  other  two  being  citizens  of  Daviess,  I  retained 
and  brought  with  me  to  this  county,  and  released  them  on  parole  of 
honor,  as  I  conceived  their  detention  illegal.  At  eight  o'clock  a.  m. 
we  took  up  the  line  of  march  and  proceeded  through  Millport  in 
Daviess  County,  thirty-seven  miles  from  our  former  encampment, 
and  arrived  at  the  camp  of  the  citizens  of  Daviess  and  other  ad- 
joining Counties,  which  amounted  to  between  two  and  three  hun- 
dred, as  their  commander.  Dr.  Austin  of  Carroll  informed  me. 
Your  order  requiring  them  to  disperse,  which  had  been  forwarded  in 
advance  of  my  command,  by  your  aid,  James  M.  Hughes,  was  read 
to  them,  and  they  were  required  to  disperse.  They  professed  that 
their  object  for  arming  and  collecting  was  solely  for  defense,  but 
they  were  marching  and  counter  marching  guards  out;  and  myself 
and  others  who  approached  the  camp  were  taken  to  task  and  re- 
quired to  wait  the  approach  of  the  sergeant  of  the  guard.  I  had 
an  interview  with  Dr.  Austin,  and  his  professions  were  all  pacific. 
But  they  still  continue  in  arms,  marching  and  countermarching. 

"I  then  proceeded  with  your  aid,  J.  M.  Hughes,  and  my  aid 
Benjamin  HoUiday,  to  the  Mormon  encampment  commanded  by 
Colonel  Wight.  We  held  a  conference  with  him,  and  he  professed 
entire  willingness  to  disband  and  surrender  up  to  me  every  one  of 
the  Mormons  accused  of  crime,  and  required  in  return  that  the 
hostile  forces,  collected  by  the  other  citizens  of  the  county,  should 
also  disband.  At  the  camp  commanded  by  Dr.  Austin  I  demanded 
the  prisoner  demanded  in  your  order,  who  had  been  released  on  the 
evening  after  my  arrival  in  their  vicinity. 

"I  took  up  line  of  march  and  encamped  in  the  direct  road  be- 
tween the  hostile  encampments,  where  I  have  remained  since,  with- 
in about  two  and  a  half  miles  of  Wight's  Encampment,  and  some- 
times, the  other  camp  is  nearer,  and  sometimes  farther  from  me.  I 
intend  to  occupy  this  position  until  your  arrival,  and  deem  it  best  to 


MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW.  21 

and  preserve  peace  and  prevent  an  engagement  between  the  parties 
if  kept  so  for  a  few  days  they  will  doubtless  disband  without  coer- 
cion.    I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Yours  with  respect, 
A.  W.  Doniphan, 
Brig.  General  1st.  Brigade, 
3rd  Division  Missouri  Militia.'* 
(Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  pp.  268-9.) 

Subsequently  Major  General  Atchison  arrived  and  his 
report  to  Governor  Boggs,  the  Commander-in-Chief,  will 
show  his  views  of  the  situation: 

"Headquarters  3rd   Division,   Missouri  Militia, 
Grand     River,     Sept.     17,     1838. 
To  His  Excellency,  the  Commander-in-Chief: 
Sir: 

"I  arrived  at  the  County  seat  of  this  county,  Daviess,  on  the 
evening  of  the  15th  instant,  with  the  troops  raised  from  the  militia 
of  Ray  County  under  the  command  of  General  Doniphan.  In  the 
same  neighborhood  I  found  from  two  to  three  hundred  men  in  arms, 
principally  from  the  counties  of  Livingston,  Carroll,  and  Saline. 
These  men  were  embodied  under  the  protest  of  defending  the 
citizens  of  Daviess  County  against  the  Mormons;  and  were  operat- 
ing under  the  orders  of  a  Dr.  Austin  from  Carroll  County.  The 
citizens  of  Daviess,  or  a  large  portion  of  them,  residing  on  each 
side  of  Grand  River,  had  left  their  farms  and  removed  their  families 
either  to  the  adjoining  counties  or  collected  them  together  at  a 
place  called  the  Camp  Ground.  The  whole  county  on  the  east 
side  of  Grand  River  appears  to  be  deserted,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  who  are  not  so  timid  as  their  neighbors.  The  Mormons  of 
Daviess  County  have  also  left  their  farms,  and  have  encamped  for 
safety  at  a  place  immediately  on  the  east  bank  of  Grand  River, 
called  Adam-ondi-Ahman.  The  numbers  are  supposed  to  be  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  citizens  of  Daviess  County,  and  from 
fifty  to  one  hundred  men,  citizens  of  Caldwell  County.  Both 
parties  have  been  scouting  through  the  country  and  occasionally 
taking  prisoners  and  threatening  and  insulting  each  other;  but  as 
yet  no  blood  has  been  shed.  I  have  ordered  all  armed  men  from 
adjoining  counties  to  repair  to  their  homes;  the  Livingston  County 
men  and  others  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  men  have  returned, 
and  there  remain  now  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  who  will,  I  am 
in  hopes,  return  in  a  few  days.  I  have  been  informed  by  the  Mor- 
mons, that  all  of  those  who  have  been  charged  with  a  violation  of 
the  laws  will  be  in  today  for  trial;  when  that  is  done  the  troops  under 


22       EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND   RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR. 

my  command  will  be  no  longer  required  in  this  county,  if  the  citi- 
zens of  other  counties  will  return  to  their  respective  homes.  I  have 
proposed  to  leave  two  companies  of  fifty  men  each  in  this  county 
and  discharge  the  remainder  of  the  troops;  said  two  companies  will 
remain  for  the  preservation  of  order,  until  peace  and  confidence  are 
restored.  I  also  inclose  to  your  Excellency  the  report  of  General 
Doniphan  and  I  refer  you  for  particulars  to  Major  Rogers. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 
D.  R.  Atchison, 

Major-General  3rd   Division 
Missouri  Militia." 
{Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  pp.  282-283.) 

On  the  18th,  Governor  Boggs,  undoubtedly  consider- 
ing the  force  under  Atchison  too  small,  or  considering  the 
General  too  pacific  in  his  measures,  ordered  the  fourth  divi- 
sion, under  General  S.  D.  Lucas,  to  the  scene  of  trouble, 
there  to  co-operate  with  the  forces  under  General  Atchison. 
General  Atchison  again  reported  to  the  Governor  as  follows: 

"Sir:  The  troops  ordered  out  for  the  purpose  of  putting  down 
the  insurrection  supposed  to  exist  in  the  counties  of  Daviess  and 
Caldwell  were  discharged  on  the  20th  instant,  with  the  exception  of 
two  companies  of  the  Ray  Militia,  now  stationed  in  the  County  of 
Daviess,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier  General  Parks.  It  wa? 
deemed  necessary  in  the  state  of  excitement  in  that  county  that 
three  companies  should  remain  there  for  a  short  period  longer,  say 
some  twenty  days,  until  confidence  and  tranquility  should  be  re- 
stored. 

"All  the  offenders  against  the  law  in  that  county,  against  whom 
process  was  taken  out,  were  arrested  and  brought  before  a  court  of 
inquiry,  and  recognized  to  appear  at  the  Circuit  Court.  Mr. 
Thomas  C.  Berch  attended  to  the  prosecuting  on  the  part  of  the 
State.  The  citizens  of  other  counties  who  came  in  armed  to  the 
assistance  of  the  citizens  of  Daviess  County  have  dipersed  and  re- 
tired to  their  respective  homes,  and  the  Mormons  have  also  returned 
to  their  homes;  so  that  I  consider  the  insurrection,  for  the  present 
at  least,  at  an  end.  From  the  best  information  I  can  get  there  are 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  Mormon  families  in  Daviess  County, 
nearly  one-half  of  the  population,  and  the  whole  of  the  Mormon 
forces  in  Daviess,  Caldwell  and  the  adjoining  counties  is  estimated 
at  from  thirteen  to  fifteen  hundred  men,  capable  of  bearing  arms. 
The  Mormons  of  Daviess  County,  as  I  stated  in  a  former  report, 
were  encamped  in  a  town  called  Adam-ondi-Ahman,  and  are 
headed  by  Lyman  Wight,  a  bold,  brave,  skillful,  and,  I  may  add,  a 


MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW.  23 

desperate  man:     they  appear  to  be  acting  on  the  defensive,  and  I 
must  further  add,  gave  up  the  offenders  with  a  good  deal  of  prompt- 
ness.    The  arms  taken  by  the  Mormons,  and  prisoners,  were  also 
given  up  upon  demand,  with  seeming  cheerfulness." 
{Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  p.  294.) 

On  September  25,  General  Parks,  who  was  left  in  com- 
mand wrote  the  Governor  as  follows: 

"Whatever  may  have  been  the  disposition  of  the  people  called 
Mormons,  before  our  arrival  here,  since  we  have  made  our  appear- 
ance they  have  shown  no  disposition  to  resist  the  laws,  or  of  hostile 
intentions.  There  has  been  so  much  prejudice  and  exaggeration 
concerned  in  this  matter,  that  I  found  things  entirely  different  from 
what  I  was  prepared  to  expect.  When  we  arrived  here  we  found  a 
large  body  of  men  from  the  counties  adjoining  armed  and  in  the 
field  for  the  purpose,  as  I  learned,  of  assisting  the  people  of  this 
county  against  the  Mormons,  without  being  called  out  by  the  proper 
authorities. 

"P.  S.     Since  writing  the  above,  I  received  information  that  if 
the  committee  do  not  agree,   the  determination  of  the   Daviess 
County  men  is  to  drive  the  Mormons  with  powder  and  lead." 
(Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  p.  295.) 

He  wrote  General  Atchison  on  the  same  date,  thus: 

**I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  state  to  you  that  the  deep  excite- 
ment existing  between  the  parties  has  in  a  great  degree  ceased;  and 
so  far  I  have  had  no  occasion  to  resort  to  force  in  assisting  the  con- 
stables. On  tomorrow  a  committee  from  Daviess  County  meets  a 
commitefj  of  the  Mormons  at  Adam-ondi-Ahman,  to  propose  to 
them  to  buy  or  sell,  and  I  expect  to  be  there." 

(Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  p.  275.) 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  THE  MORMON  WAR.         25 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  THE 
MORMON  WAR. 

RoLLiN  J.  Brixton. 

Second  Article. 

The  Mormons  Expelled  from  Carroll  County. 

The  lull  of  hostilities  in  Daviess  county  was  followed  by 
an  outbreak  in  Carroll  county  at  DeWitt  from  whence  the 
following  petition  issued : 

"DeWitt,  Carroll  County,  State  of  Missouri, 

September  22,  1838. 

To  His  Excellency,  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  Governor  of  the  State  of 
Missouri: 

"Your  petitioners,  citizens  of  the  County  of  Carroll,  do  hereby 
petition  your  Excellency,  praying  for  rehef;  That  whereas,  your 
petitioners  have  on  the  20th  inst.  been  sorely  aggrieved  by  being 
beset  by  a  lawless  mob  of  certain  inhabitants  of  this  and  other 
counties,  to  the  injury  of  the  good  citizens  of  this  and  adjacent 
places;  that  on  the  aforesaid  day  came  from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  armed  men,  and  threatened  with  force  and 
violence  to  drive  certain  peaceable  citizens  from  their  homes  in 
defiance  of  all  law,  and  threatened  then  to  drive  said  citizens  out  of 
the  county,  but  on  deliberation  concluded  to  give  them,  said  citi- 
zens, till  the  first  of  October  next  to  leave  said  county;  and  threat- 
ened if  not  gone  by  that  time,  to  exterminate  them,  without  re- 
gard to  age  or  sex,  and  destroy  their  chattels  by  throwing  them 
in  the  river. 

"We  therefore  pray  you  to  take  such  steps  as  shall  put  a 
stop  to  all  lawless  proceeding,  and  we,  your  petitioners,  will  ever 
pray,  etc." 

This  petition  was  signed  by  Benj.  Kendrick  and  foity- 
nine  others,  one  of  whom  signed  his  name  "D.  Thomas"  and 
then  after  his  name  wrote  the  words  (no  Mormon). 

On  October  2nd,  General  Parks  sent  the  following  letter 
to  General  Atchison ; 


2b  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

"Dear  Sir:  I  received  this  morning  an  affidavit  from  Carroll 
County  the  following  is  a  copy: 

'Henry  Root  on  his  oath  states  that  on  the  night  of  the  first 
of  October  there  was  collected  in  the  vicinity  of  DeWitt  an  armed 
force,  consisting  of  from  thirty  to  fifty  persons  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  second  of  October  came  into  the  town  of  DeWitt  and  fired 
on  the  civil  inhabitants  of  that  place.  Thirteen  of  said  individuals 
were  seen  by  me  in  that  place,  and  I  believe  there  is  actually  an 
insurrection  in  that  place. 

Henry  Root. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  this  3rd  day  of  October,  1838. 

William  B.  Morton,  J.  P.' 

*'In  consequence  of  which  information  and  belief  of  an  attack 
being  made  on  said  place,  I  have  ordered  out  the  two  companies 
raised  by  your  order,  to  be  held  in  readiness  under  the  commands 
of  Captains  Bogart  and  Houston,  to  march  for  DeWitt,  in  Carroll 
County,  by  eight  o'clock  tomorrow  morning,  armed  and  equipped 
as  the  law  directs,  with  six  days'  provisions  and  fifty  rounds  of 
powder  and  ball.  I  will  proceed  with  these  troops  in  person,  leav- 
ing Colonel  Thompson  in  command  on  Grand  River.  As  soon  as 
I  reach  DeWitt  I  will  advise  you  of  the  state  of  affairs  more  fully. 
I  will  use  all  due  precautions  in  the  affair,  and  deeply  regret  the 
necessity  of  the  recourse. 

H.  G.  Parks, 
Brigadier  General  2nd  Brigade,  3rd  Division." 

General  Lucas  wrote  a  letter  to  Governor  Boggs  at  this 
time  as  follows : 

"Boonville,  Missouri,  October  4,  1838. 
Dear  Sir: 

As  we  passed  down  the  Missouri  River  on  Monday  last,  we 
saw  a  large  force  of  Mormons  at  DeWitt,  in  Carroll  County,  under 
arms.  Their  commander  Colonel  Hinkle,  formerly  of  Carroll 
County,  informed  me  that  there  were  two  hundred,  and  that  they 
were  hourly  expecting  an  attack  from  the  citizens  of  Carroll 
County,  who,  he  said  were  then  encamped  only  six  miles  from 
there,  waiting  for  a  reinforcement  from  Saline  County.  Hinkle 
said  they  had  determined  to  fight.  News  had  just  been  received 
at  the  place,  through  Dr.  Scott,  of  Fayette,  that  a  fight  took 
place  on  yesterday,  and  that  several  persons  were  killed.  Dr. 
Scott  informed  me  that  he  got  his  information  from  a  gentleman 
of  respectability,  who  had  heard  the  firing  of  their  guns  as  he 
passed  down.  If  a  fight  has  actually  taken  place,  of  which  I 
have  no  doubt,  it  will  create  excitement  in  the  whole  of  upper  Mis- 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         27 

souri,  and  those  base  and  degraded  beings  will  be  exterminated 
from  the  face  of  the  earth.  If  one  of  the  citizens  of  Carroll  should 
be  killed,  before  five  days  I  believe  that  there  will  be  from  four  to 
five  thousand  volunteers  in  the  field  against  the  Mormons,  and  noth- 
ing but  their  blood  will  satisfy  them.  It  is  an  unpleasant  state  of 
affairs.  The  remedy  I  do  not  pretend  to  suggest  to  your  Excel- 
lency. My  troops  of  the  fourth  division  were  only  dismissed, 
subject  to  further  orders,  and  can  be  called  into  the  field  at  an 
hour's  warning. 

Samual  D.  Lucas." 

General  Parks  arrived  at  DeWitt  on  the  6th  of  October 
and  immediately  sent  the  following  letter  to  General  Atchison : 

"Sir:  Immediately  after  my  express  to  you  by  Mr.  Warder 
was  sent,  I  proceeded  to  this  place,  which  I  reached  yesterday, 
with  two  companies  of  mounted  men  from  Ray.  I  ordered  Colonel 
Jones  to  call  out  three  companies,  from  this  county  to  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  to  join  me  at  Carrollton  on  the  5th  instant, 
which  order  has  not  been  carried  into  effect.  None  of  Carroll 
regiment  is  with  me. 

"On  arriving  in  the  vicinity  of  DeWitt  I  found  a  body  of  armed 
men  under  command  of  Dr.  Austin,  encamped  near  DeWitt,  be- 
seiging  that  place,  to  the  number  of  two  or  three  hundred,  with  a 
piece  of  artillery  ready  to  attack  the  town  of  DeWitt.  On  the 
other  side  Hinkle  has  in  that  place  three  or  four  hundred  Mormons 
to  defend  it,  and  says  he  will  die  before  he  is  driven  from  thence. 

"On  the  4th  instant  they  had  a  skirmish — fifteen  or  thirty 
guns  fired  on  both  sides,  one  man  from  Saline  wounded  in  the  hip. 

"The  Mormons  are  at  this  time  too  strong,  and  no  attack  is 
expected  before  Wednesday  or  Thursday  next,  at  which  time  Dr. 
Austin  hopes  his  forces  will  amount  to  five  hundred  men,  when  he 
will  make  a  second  attempt  on  the  town  of  DeWitt,  with  small 
arms  and  cannon.  In  this  posture  of  affairs,  I  can  do  nothing 
but  negotiate  between  the  parties  until  further  aid  is  sent  me. 

"I  received  your  friendly  letter  on  the  5th  inst.,  by  Mr. 
Wardon,  authorizing  me  to  call  on  General  Doniphan,  which  call 
I  have  made  on  him  for  five  companies  from  Platte,  Clay  and 
Clinton,  with  two  companies  I  ordered  from  Livingston,  of  which 
I  doubt  whether  these  last  will  come.  If  they  do,  I  think  I  will 
have  a  force  sufficient  to  manage  these  billigerents. 

"Should  these  troops  arrive  here  in  time,  I  hope  to  be  able  to 
prevent  bloodshed.  Nothing  seems  so  much  in  demand  here  (to 
hear  the  Carrol  County  men  talk)  as  Morman  scalps;  as  yet  they 
are  scarce.  I  believe  Hinkle  with  the  present  force  and  position 
will  beat  Austin  with  five  hundred  of  his  troops.     The  Mormons 


28  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

say  they  will  die  before  they  will  be  driven  out,  etc.  As  yet  they 
have  acted  on  the  defensive  as  far  as  I  can  learn.  It  is  my  settled 
opinion  the  Mormons  will  have  no  rest  until  they  leave;  whether 
they  will  or  not,  time  only  can  tell. 

H.  C.  Parks." 

The  besieging  force  was  augmented  by  the  arrival  of 
bodies  of  armed  men  from  Ray,  Saline,  Howard,  Livingston, 
Clinton,  Clay  and  Platte  counties,  and  Congrieve  Jackson 
from  Howard  county  was  chosen  by  them  as  commander  in 
chief. 

The  Saints  were  foibidden  to  leave  DeWitt  under  pain  of 
death  and  were  shot  at  whenever  they  were  seen. 

The  supply  of  food  in  DeWitt  was  soon  exhausted  and  in 
the  meantime  Henry  Root  and  David  Thomas  worked  out  a 
settlement.  Thomas  advised  the  Mormons  that  they  would 
be  permitted  to  leave  the  town  and  not  be  huit  and  that  their 
property  would  be  appraised  and  paid  for. 

Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  had  ariived  in  DeWitt  prioi  to  this, 
and  he  with  the  resident  Mormons  conceded  this  was  the  best 
settlement  that  could  be  made.  Appraisers  came  in  and 
appraised  the  real  estate,  but  it  is  not  probable  that  anything 
was  every  paid  to  the  Mormons  for  any  of  their  property. 
The  most  of  the  personal  propeity  of  the  Mormons,  including 
much  of  their  live  stock,  had  already  been  taken  possession  of 
by  the  Missourians  and  they  never  returned  any  of  it. 

About  seventy  wagons  were  gathered  together,  and  loaded 
with  such  remnants  of  their  property  as  could  be  found,  and 
the  Mormons  then  started  from  DeWitt  on  the  afternoon  of 
Thursday,  October  11,  1838,  bound  for  Caldwell  county. 
They  traveled  about  twelve  miles  that  day  and  encamped  in 
a  grove  of  timber  near  the  road.  That  night  a  woman,  weak- 
ened by  childbirth  and  exposure,  died  in  their  camp  and  was 
buried  in  the  grove  without  a  coffin.  Far  West  was  reached 
the  next  day. 

At  Far  West  on  the  morning  of  October  15,  the  Mormons 
assembled  on  the  public  square  and  formed  a  company  of  about 
one  hundred  men.     This  company  was  placed  under  the  com- 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         29 

mand  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Hinkle,  a  Mormon,  who  held  a 
commission  in  the  Missouri  State  Militia,  and  who  acted, 
we  are  told,  under  the  ordei  of  General  Doniphan. 

Mormon  Troubles  in  Daviess  County. 

This  company  started  at  once  for  the  protection  of  Adam- 
ondi-Ahman,  and  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  went  along,  and  he  states 
that  many  depredations,  such  as  driving  off  horses,  sheep, 
cattle  and  hogs  belonging  to  his  brethren  took  place  at  this 
time. 

Major  Joseph  H.  McGee  tells  us  in  his  memoirs,  "that 
on  the  morning  of  October  18,  1838,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
Mormons  came  to  Gallatin  and  finding  but  seventeen  men  in 
the  place  they  run  them  out  and  took  possession  of  the  town. 
They  removed  the  goods  out  of  Stolling's  Store  house  and 
burned  the  house.  They  then  tool^  the  goods  to  Di-Ammon. 
They  burned  my  tailor  shop  after  taking  all  there  was  in  it, 
leaving  me  only  the  suit  of  clothes  I  had  on  my  back.  They 
took  me  prisoner  and  after  keeping  me  about  two  hours  they 
turned  me  loose  and  told  me  to  'get.'  My  father  was  living 
about  three  miles  south  of  where  Winston  now  is  and  the 
road  we  traveled  then  made  it  about  fifteen  miles  from 
Gallatin.  The  snow  on  the  ground  was  about  six  inches 
deep.  When  they  turned  me  loose  and  told  me  to  go,  I  made 
tracks  for  home,  reaching  there  late  in  the  evening.  Not 
knowing  at  what  time  we  would  be  visited  by  the  Mormons, 
father  boxed  all  our  feather  beds  and  table  ware  and  hid  them 
out  in  the  woods.  There  they  remained  until  the  war  was 
over.  We  could  stand  in  our  door  yard  and  see  houses  burn- 
ing every  night  for  over  two  weeks.  The  Mormons  com- 
pletely gutted  Daviess  county.  There  was  scarcely  a  Mis- 
sourian's  house  left  standing  in  the  county.  Nearly  every  one 
was  burned.  Their  flight  from  the  county  had  been  so  pre- 
cipitate that  they  left  all  they  had  behind,  taking  only  their 
famrlies  and  teams.  The  Mormons  secured  all  their  property 
and  took  it  to  De  Ammon  and  there  placed  it  in  what  was 
termed  the  Lord's  Store  house,  to  be  issued  out  to  Saints  as 
they  might  need." 


30  MISSOURI   HISTORICAL   REVIEW. 

It  was  during  this  period  of  tiouble  that  General  Parks 
arrived  in  Daviess  county  and  went  at  once  to  the  house  of 
Lyman  Wight  in  Adam-ondi-Ahman,  arriving  there  on  the 
18th.  On  this  date,  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  tells  us  intelligence 
was  brought  in  that  the  mob  (he  always  designated  the  oppo- 
sition as  "the  mob")  was  burning  houses,  and  that  the  women 
and  children  were  fleeing  to  town  for  safety,  among  these  be- 
ing Agnes  M.  Smith,  wife  of  Don  Carlos  Smith  (a  brother  of 
Joseph's),  who  was  absent  on  a  mission  in  Tennessee,  her 
house  having  been  plundered  and  burned  by  the  mob,  she 
having  traveled  three  miles  carrying  her  two  helpless  babes, 
and  having  had  to  wade  Grand  Rivei . 

Continuing  in  the  language  of  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.: 

"Colonel  Wight,  who  held  a  commission  in  the  59th  Regiment 
under  his  (General  Parks)  command,  asked  what  was  to  be  done. 
He  told  him  that  he  must  immediately  call  out  his  men  and  go  and 
put  them  down.  Accordingly  a  force  was  immediately  raised  for 
the  purpose  of  quelling  the  mob,  and  in  a  short  time  was  on  its 
march  with  a  determination  to  drive  the  mob  or  die  in  the  attempt; 
as  they  could  bear  such  treatment  no  longer. 

"The  mob  having  learned  the  order  of  General  Parks,  and  like- 
wise being  aware  of  the  determination  of  the  oppressed,  broke  up 
their  encampment  and  fled.  The  mob  seeing  that  they  could  not 
succeed  by  force  now  resorted  to  stratagem;  and  after  removing 
their  property  out  of  their  houses,  which  were  nothing  but  log 
cabins,  they  fired  them,  and  then  reported  to  the  authorities  of  the 
State  that  the  Mormons  were  burning  and  destroying  all  before 
them. 

"On  Wednesday,  October  24,  1838,  Captain  Bogart  with  some 
thirty  or  forty  men  called  on  Brother  Thoret  Parsons,  where  he 
lived  at  the  head  of  the  East  branch  of  Log  Creek  and  warned  him 
to  be  gone  before  next  day  at  ten  in  the  morning,  declaring  also 
that  he  would  give  Far  West  thunder  and  lightning  before  next  day 
at  noon  if  he  had  good  luck  in  meeting  Neil  Gillium,  who  would 
camp  about  six  miles  west  of  Far  West  that  night,  and  that  he 
should  camp  on  Crooked  Creek,  and  departed  towards  Crooked 
Creek. 

"Brother  Parsons  dispatched  a  messenger  with  this  news  to 
Far  West,  and  followed  after  Bogart  to  watch  his  movements. 

Brother  Joseph  Holbrook  and  Judith,  who  went  out 

this  morning  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  saw  eight 
armed  mobbers  call  at  the  house  of  Brother  Pinkham,  where  they 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  31 

took  three  prisoners  (Nathan  Pinkham,  Brothers  William  Seely 
and  Addison  Green)  and  four  horses,  arms,  etc.,  and  departed 
threatening  Father  Pinkham  if  he  did  not  leave  the  State  im- 
mediately they  would  have  his  damned  old  scalp;  and  having  learned 
of  Bogart's  movements  returned  to  Far  West  near  midnight  and 
reported  their  proceedings  and  those  of  the  mob. 

*'0n  hearing  the  report,  Judge  Higbee,  the  first  Judge  of  the 
County,  ordered  Lieutenant  Colonel  Hinkle,  the  highest  officer  in 
command  in  Far  West,  to  send  out  a  company  to  disperse  the  mob 
and  retake  their  prisoners,  whom  it  was  reported,  they  intended 
to  murder  that  night.  The  trumpet  sounded  and  the  brethren 
were  assembled  on  the  public  square  about  midnight,  when  the 
facts  were  stated  and  about  seventy-five  volunteered  to  obey  the 
Judge's  order,  under  command  of  David  W.  Patten,  who  im- 
mediately commenced  their  march  on  horseback,  hoping  to  sur- 
prise and  scatter  the  camp,  retake  the  prisoners  and  prevent  the 
attack  threatened  upon  Far  West  without  the  loss  of  blood. 

"Thursday,  25th,  fifteen  of  the  company  were  detached  from 
the  main  body,  while  sixty  continued  their  march  until  they  arrived 
near  the  ford  of  Crooked  River  (or  Creek)  where  they  dismounted, 
tied  their  horses,  and  leaving  four  or  five  men  to  guard  them,  pro- 
ceeded towards  the  ford  not  knowing  the  location  of  the  encamp- 
ment. It  was  just  at  the  dawning  of  light  in  the  East  when  they 
were  marching  quietly  along  the  road,  and  near  the  top  of  the  hill, 
which  descends  to  the  river,  when  the  report  of  a  gun  was  heard, 
and  young  O'Banion  reeled  out  of  the  ranks  and  fell  mortally 
wounded.  Thus  the  work  of  death  commenced,  when  Captain  Patten 
ordered  a  charge  and  rushed  down  the  hill  on  a  fast  trot,  and  when 
within  about  fifty  yards  of  the  camp  formed  a  line.  The  mob 
formed  a  line  under  the  bank  of  the  river,  below  their  tents.  It 
was  j^et  so  dark  that  little  could  be  seen  by  looking  at  the  West, 
while  the  mob,  looking  towards  the  dawning  light,  could  see 
Patten  and  his  men,  when  they  fired  a  broadside,  and  three  or 
four  of  the  brethren  fell.  Captain  Patten  ordered  the  fire  re- 
turned, which  was  instantly  obeyed,  to  great  disadvantage  in 
the  darkness,  which  yet  continued.  The  fire  was  repeated  by  the 
mob,  and  returned  by  Captain  Patten's  company,  and  gave  the 
watchword,  'God  and  Liberty'  when  Captain  Patten  ordered  a 
charge,  which  was  instantly  obeyed.  The  parties  immediately 
came  in  contact  with  their  swords,  and  the  mob  were  soon  put  to 
flight,  crossing  the  river  at  the  ford  and  such  places  as  they  could 
get  a  chance.  In  the  pursuit  one  of  the  mob  fled  behind  a  tree, 
wheeled,  and  shot  Captain  Patten,  who  instantly  fell  mortally 
wounded,  having  received  a  large  ball  in  his  bowels.  The  ground 
was  soon  cleared,  and  the  brethren  gathered  up  a  wagon  or  two 
and  making  beds  therein  of  tents,  etc.,  took  their  wounded  and 


32  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

retreated  towards  Far  West.  Three  brethren  were  wounded  in 
the  bowels,  one  in  the  neck,  one  in  the  shoulder,  one  through  the 
hips,  and  one  through  both  thighs,  one  the  arms,  all  by  musket 
shot.     One  had  his  arm  broken  by  a  sword. 

"Brother  Gideon  Carter  was  shot  in  the  head  and  left  dead 
on  the  ground,  so  defaced  that  the  brethren  did  not  known  him. 
Bogart  reported  that  he  had  lost  one  man.  The  three  prisoners 
were  released  and  returned  with  the  brethren  to  Far  West.  Cap- 
tain Patten  was  carried  some  of  the  way  in  a  litter,  but  it  caused 
so  much  distress  he  beged  to  be  left,  and  was  carried  into  Brother 
Winchester's,  three  miles  from  the  city,  where  he  died  that  night. 
O'Banion  died  soon  after,  and  Brother  Carter's  body  was  also 
brought  from  Crooked  River,  when  it  was  discovered  who  he  was. 

"I  went  with  my  Brother  Hyrum  and  Amasa  Lyman  to  meet 
the  brethren  on  their  return,  near  Log  Creek,  where  I  saw  Captain 
Patten  in  a  most  distressing  condition.     His  wound  was  incurable. 

"Brother  David  W.  Patten  was  a  very  worthy  man,  beloved 
by  all  good  men  who  knew  him.  He  was  one  of  the  twelve  Apostles, 
and  died  as  he  lived,  a  man  of  God  and  strong  in  the  faith  of  a 
glorious  resurrection  in  a  world  where  mobs  will  have  no  power 
or  place.  One  of  his  last  expressions  to  his  wife  was,  'Whatever 
you  do  Else,  O,  do  not  deny  the  faith.' 

"How  different  his  faith  from  that  of  the  Apostate,  Thomas 
B.  Marsh,  who  this  day  vented  all  the  lying  spleen  and  malice  of 
his  heart  toward  the  work  of  God,  in  a  letter  to  Brother  and  Sister 
Abbot,  to  which  was  annexed  an  addenda  by  Orson  Hyde."  (Mil- 
lenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  pp.  395,  405,  408.) 

On  October  the  26th,  1838,  the  following  order  was 
issued  by  Governor  Boggs : 

"Friday,  Headquarters  of  the  Militia, 
City  of  Jefferson.  October  26,  1838. 
General  John  B.  Clark, 

1st  Division,  Missouri  Militia. 
Sir: 

Application  has  been  made  to  the  Commander  in  Chief,  by 
the  citizens  of  Daviess  County,  in  this  state,  for  protection,  and 
to  be  restored  to  their  homes  and  property,  with  intelligence  that 
the  Mormons  with  an  armed  force  have  expelled  the  inhabitants  of 
that  county  from  their  homes,  have  pillaged  and  burn  their  dwell- 
ings, driven  off  their  stock,  and  were  destroying  their  crops;  that 
they  (the  Mormons)  have  burnt  to  ashes  the  towns  of  Gallatin  and 
Millport  in  said  county;  the  former  being  the  county  seat  of  said 
county,  and  including  the  clerk's  office  and  all  the  public  records 
of  the  county,  and  that  there  is  not  now  a  civil  officer  within  said 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         33 

county.  The  Commander  in  Chief  therefore  orders,  that  there  be 
raised,  from  the  1st,  4th,  5th,  6th  and  12th  Divisions  of  the  Militia 
of  this  State,  four  hundred  men  each,  to  be  mounted  and  armed 
as  infantry  or  riflemen,  each  man  to  furnish  himself  with  at  least 
fifty  rounds  of  ammunition  and  at  least  fifteen  days'  provisions. 
The  troops  from  the  1st,  5th,  6th  and  12th  will  rendezvous  at  Fay- 
ette, in  Howard  County,  on  Saturday,  the  3rd  day  of  next  month 
(November),  at  which  point  they  will  receive  further  instructions 
as  to  their  line  of  march. 

You  will  therefore  cause  to  be  raised  the  quota  of  men  re- 
quired of  your  division  (four  hundred  men)  without  delay,  either 
by  volunteer  or  drafts,  and  rendezvous,  at  Fayette,  in  Howard 
County  on  Saturday,  the  3rd  day  of  next  month  (November),  and 
there  join  the  troops  from  the  5th,  6th  and  12th  divisions.  The 
troops  from  the  4th  division  will  join  you  at  Richmond,  in  Ray 
County.  You  will  cause  the  troops  raised  in  your  division  to  be 
formed  into  companies,  according  to  law,  and  proceed  under 
officers  already  in  commission.  If  volunteer  companies  are  raised 
they  shall  elect  their  own  officers.  The  preference  should  always 
be  given  to  volunteer  companies  already  organized  and  commis- 
sioned. You  will  also  detail  the  necessary  field  and  staff  officers. 
For  the  convenience  of  transporting  the  camp  equipage,  provisions 
and  hospital  stores  for  the  troops  under  your  command  you  are 
authorized  to  employ  two  or  three  baggage  wagons. 

By  order  of  the  Commander  in  Chief, 

B.  M.  Lisle,  Adj.  General." 
—(Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  p.  445.) 

The  Exterminating  Order. 

On  the  following  day  the  famous  "Exterminating 
Order"  was  issued,  which  is  as  follows: 

Headquarters  Militia,  City  of  Jefferson, 

October  27,  1838. 
Sir: 

Since  the  order  of  the  morning  to  you,  directing  you  to  cause 
four  hundred  mounted  men  to  be  raised  within  your  division,  I 
have  received  by  Amos  Reese,  Esq.,  and  Wiley  E.  Williams,  Esq., 
one  of  my  aids,  information  of  the  most  appalling  character, 
which  changes  the  whole  face  of  things,  and  places  the  Mormons 
in  the  attitude  of  open  and  avowed  defiance  of  the  laws  and  of 
having  made  open  war  upon  the  people  of  this  State.  Your  orders 
are  therefore,  to  hasten  your  operations  and  endeavor  to  reach 
Richmond,  in  Ray  County,  with  all  possible  speed.  The  Mor- 
GR— » 


34  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

mons  must  be  treated  as  enemies,  and  must  be  exterminated,  or 
driven  from  the  State,  if  necessary,  for  the  public  good.  Their 
outrages  are  beyond  all  description.  If  you  can  increase  your 
force  you  are  authorized  to  do  so,  to  any  extent  you  may  think 
necessary.  I  have  just  issued  orders  to  Major  General  Wallock, 
of  Monroe  County,  to  raise  five  hundred  men  and  to  march  them 
to  the  northern  part  of  Daviess  and  there  to  unite  with  General 
Doniphan,  of  Clay,  who  has  been  ordered  with  five  hundred  men 
to  proceed  to  the  same  point,  for  the  purpose  of  intercepting  the 
retreat  of  the  Mormons  to  the  north.  They  have  been  directed 
to  communicate  with  you  by  express.  You  can  also  communicate 
with  them  if  you  find  it  necessary.  Instead,  therefore,  of  proceed- 
ing, as  at  first  directed,  to  reinstate  the  citizens  of  Daviess  in  their 
homes,  you  will  proceed  immediately  to  Richmond,  and  there 
operate  against  the  Mormons.  Brigadier  General  Parks,  of  Ray, 
has  been  ordered  to  have  four  hundred  men  of  his  brigade  in  readi- 
ness to  join  you  at  Richmond.  The  whole  force  will  be  placed  under 
your  command. 

L.  W.  BOQGS, 

Governor  and  Commander  in  Chief. 
To  General  Clark. 

—{Millenialt  Sar,  Vol.  16,  p.  446.) 

The  author  of  the  History  of  Caldwell  and  Livingston 
Counties,  Missouri  (published  by  National  Historical  Co.,  St. 
Louis,  1886,  p.  133),  writes: 

"General  Doniphan  states  to  the  writer  hereof  that  he  also 
received  an  order  and  a  letter  from  Governor  Boggs.  The  order, 
General  Doniphan  says,  commanded  him  to  obey  the  orders  of 
Gen.  John  B.  Clark,  when  he  should  arrive  and  assume  command, 
as  he  had  been  ordered  to  do,  and  the  letter  was  very  denuncia- 
tory of  the  Mormons  and  declared  among  other  things,  that  they 
must  all  be  driven  from  the  state  or  exterminated. 

"It  is  asserted  that  General  Atchinson's  orders  or  directions 
from  the  Governor  were  to  the  same  purport  as  Doniphan's  letter 
from  the  Governor,  and  that  thereupon  General  Atchison  withdrew 
from  the  military  force,  declaring  that  he  would  be  no  party  to  the 
enforcement  of  such  inhuman  commands.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is 
asserted  that  the  Governor's  orders  to  Atchison  relieved  him  from 
command,  directing  him  to  turn  over  his  command  to  General 
Lucas. 

"At  any  rate.  General  Atchison  left  the  militia  at  Log  Creek  on 
receipt  of  the  Governor's  orders  and  returned  to  his  house  at 
Liberty,  and  General  Lucas  was  left  in  sole  command." 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         35 


Founding  of  the  Danites. 

The  History  of  the  Church  declares  that  it  was  at  this  time 
that  the  organization  known  as  the  Danites  was  formed  by 
one  Doctor  Sampson  Avard,  who  formed  his  adherents  into  a 
secret  organization  composed  of  companies  of  tens  and  fifteens, 
appointing  a  captain  over  each  company.  To  the  captains, 
Avard  is  quoted  as  saying: 

*'  'My  brethern,  as  you  have  been  chosen  to  be  our  leading 
men,  our  captains  to  rule  over  this  last  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  have  been  organized  after  the  ancient  order,  I  have  called 
upon  you  here  today  to  teach  you  and  instruct  you  in  the  things  that 
pertain  to  your  duty,  and  to  show  you  what  your  privileges  are  and 
what  they  soon  will  be.  Know  ye  not  brethern,  that  it  soon  will 
be  your  privileges  to  take  your  respective  companies  and  go  out 
on  a  scout  on  the  borders  of  the  settlements,  and  take  to  yourselves 
spoils  of  the  goods  of  the  ungodly  Gentiles?  For  it  is  written,  the 
riches  of  the  Gentiles  shall  be  consecrated  to  my  people,  the  house 
of  Israel:  and  thus  waste  away  the  Gentiles  by  robbing  and  plunder- 
ing them  of  their  property;  and  in  this  way  we  will  build  up  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  roll  forth  the  little  stone  that  Daniel  saw  cut 
out  of  the  mountain  without  hands,  until  it  shall  fill  the  whole  earth. 

**  'For  this  is  the  very  way  that  God  destined  to  build  up  his 
kingdom  in  the  last  days. 

"  'If  any  of  us  should  be  recognized,  who  can  harm  us?  for  we 
will  stand  by  each  other  and  depend  one  another  in  all  things.  If 
our  enemies  swear  against  us,  we  can  swear  also.  (The  captains 
were  confounded  at  this,  but  Avard  continued):  Why  do  you 
startle  at  this  brethern?  As  the  Lord  liveth,  I  would  swear  a  lie 
to  clear  any  of  you;  and  if  this  would  not  do,  I  would  put  them  or 
him  under  the  sand  as  Moses  did  the  Egyptian,  and  in  this  way  we 
will  consecrate  much  unto  the  Lord,  and  build  up  his  kingdom,  and 
who  can  stand  against  us?  And  if  any  of  us  transgress,  we  will 
deal  with  him  amongst  ourselves.  And  if  any  one  of  the  Danite 
Society  reveals  any  of  these  things,  I  will  put  him  where  the  dogs 
cannot  bite  him.' 

"At  this  juncture  all  of  the  officers  revolted  and  said  it  would 
not  do,  they  should  not  go  into  any  such  measures,  and  it  would 
not  do  to  name  any  such  things,  such  proceedings  would  be  in 
open  violation  to  the  laws  of  our  country,  and  would  be  robbing 
our  fellow  citizens  of  their  rights  and  are  not  according  to  the  lan- 
guage and  doctrine  of  Christ  of  the  Church  of  Latter  Day  Saints." 


36  MISSOURI   HISTORICAL   REVIEW. 

"This  modern  Sampson  replied  and  said  there  were  no  laws 
that  were  executed  in  justice,  and  he  cared  not  for  them,  this  being 
a  different  dispensation,  a  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times;  in 
this  dispensation  I  learn  from  the  Scriptures  that  the  kingdom  of 
God  was  to  put  down  all  other  kingdoms,  and  he  himself  was  to 
reign  and  his  laws  alone  were  the  only  laws  that  would  exist. 

"Avard's  teachings  were  still  manfully  rejected  by  all,  Avard 
then  said  that  they  had  better  drop  the  subject;  although  he  had 
received  his  authority  from  Sidney  Rigdonthe  evening  before. 

"When  a  knowledge  of  Avard's  rascality  came  to  the  Presiden- 
cy of  the  Church,  he  was  cut  off  from  the  church,  and  every  means 
proper  used  to  destroy  his  influence,  at  which  he  was  highly  in- 
censed, and  went  about  whispering  his  evil  insinuations  but 
finding  every  effort  unavailing,  he  again  turned  conspirator,  and 
sought  to  make  friends  with  the  mob." 

The  Haun's  Mill  Massacre. 

"The  mob  began  to  encamp  at  Richmond  on  the  26th  and  by 
this  time  amounted  to  about  two  thousand  five  hundred,all  ready  to 
join  the  standard  of  the  Governor.  They  took  up  a  line  of  March 
for  Far  West,  traveling  but  part  way  where  they  encamped  for  the 
night. 

"Tuesday,  30th,their  advance  guard  were  patroling  the  country 
and  taking  many  prisoners,  among  whom  were  Brother  Winchester 
and  Brother  Carey,  whose  skull  they  laid  open  by  a  blow  from  a 
rifle  barrel.  In  this  mangled  condition  the  mob  laid  him  in  their 
wagon  and  went  on  their  way  denjdng  him  every  comfort  and  there 
he  remained  that  afternoon  and  night. 

"General  Clark  was  in  camp  at  Chariton  under  a  forced  march 
to  Richmond,  with  about  a  thousand  men  and  the  Governor's  ex- 
terminating order."     {Millenial  Star,  Vol.  15,  pp.  458,  560,  507.) 

Just  at  this  time  occurred  the  worst  battle  of  the  war. 
It  has  always  been  denominated  Haun's  Mill  Massacre. 

Perhaps  the  best  account  of  this  massacre  ever  written 
came  from  the  pen  of  Major  Reburn  S.  Holcombe,  one  of  the 
most  prolific  of  Missouri  historical  writers,  and  the  author 
of  the  best  of  Missouri  county  histories.  He  moved  to  St. 
Paul  prior  to  1890,  where  he  died  in  November,  1916.  He 
wrote  over  the  name  of  "Burr  Joyce,"  and  his  account  of  the 
massacre  appeared  in  the  Sc.  Louis  Globe-Democrat  for  October 
6,  1887,  and  is  as  follows: 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         37 

**Breckenridge,  Mo.,  Sept.  27,  1887. 

"In  the  afternoon  of  Tuesday,  October  30,  1838,  during  the 
Mormon  War  in  Missouri,  there  occurred  in  Caldwell  county  a 
dreadful  incident,  generally  termed  'The  Haun's  Mill  Massacre.* 
From  official  documents  and  other  records,  from  affidavits  of  wit- 
nesses, and  from  statements  made  by  actual  participants,  I  have 
prepared  the  following  account.  If  any  newspaper  publication  of 
the  affair  has  ever  before  been  made,  I  am  not  aware  of  the  fact. 
The  Mormons  made  their  first  settlement  in  Missouri,  in  Jackson 
county,  in  the  year  1832,  under  the  leadership  of  their  prophet, 
Joseph  Smith.  I  have  not  the  space  here  to  describe  their  exper- 
iences in  that  county,  their  expulsion  therefrom,  their  sojourn  in 
Clay  and  Ray,  their  treaty  by  which  they  were  given  Caldwell 
county  as  a  sort  of  reservation,  their  founding  of  the  city  of  Far 
West,  nor  can  I  narrate  the  circumstances  leading  to  the  Mormon 
War  (so  called),  and  finally  the  banishment  of  these  unhappy  people 
from  the  state.  All  these  incidents  may  form  the  subject  of  a 
future  paper.  I  may  state,  however,  that  the  massacre  was  per- 
petrated on  the  very  day  that  the  militia,  under  Generals  Lucas 
and  Doniphan  arrived  at  Far  West,  with  orders  from  Governor 
Boggs  to  expel  the  Mormons  from  the  state  or  exterminate  them. 

"At  Jacob  Haun's  mill  on  Shoal  creek,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Caldwell  county,  about  eight  miles  South  of  Breckenridge,  there 
had  collected  about  twenty  Mormon  families,  Haun  himself  was  a 
Mormon  and  had  come  to  the  site  from  Wisconsin  a  few  years  be- 
fore. He  had  a  very  good  mill,  and  clustered  around  it  were  a 
blacksmith  shop  and  half  a  dozen  small  houses. 

"The  alarm  that  the  troops  were  moving  against  them  had 
driven  nearly  all  the  Mormon  families  in  the  county  to  Far  West 
for  safety.  A  dozen  or  more  living  in  the  vicinity  repaired  to  Haun's 
Mill,  which  was  twenty  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Far  West.  As 
there  were  not  enough  houses  to  accommodate  all  of  the  f ugitives,a 
number  were  living  in  tents  and  temporary  shelters.  A  few  families, 
perhaps  four,  had  come  in  on  the  evening  of  the  29th,  from  Ohio, 
and  were  occupying  their  emigrant  wagons.  Not  one  member  of 
the  little  community  had  ever  been  in  arms  against  the  Gentiles 
or  taken  any  part  whatever  in  the  preceding  disturbances.  Word 
that  the  militia  of  the  state  had  been  ordered  to  expel  them  from 
the  country  had  reached  the  Mormons  of  the  Haun's  Mill  settle- 
ment, and  following  this  intelligence  came  a  report  that  a  consider- 
able number  of  men  in  Livingston  county,  together  with  some  from 
Daviess,  had  organized  in  the  forks  of  Grand  River,  near  Spring  Hill 
in  Livingston  and  were  preparing  to  attack  them.  Whereupon,  a 
company  of  about  twenty-five  men  and  boys  indifferently  armed 
with  shotguns  and  squirrel  rifles,  were  organized  at  the  mill,  and 
David  Evans  was  chosen  Captain. 


38  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

**It  was  resolved  to  defend  the  place  against  the  threatened 
assault.  Some  of  the  older  men  urged  that  no  resistance  should  be 
made,  but  that  all  should  retreat  to  Far  West.  The  day  after  the 
skirmish  on  Crooked  River  (Otcober  25),  Haun  himself,  went  to 
Far  West  to  take  Counsel  of  Joe  Smith,  'move  here  by  all  means, 
if  you  wish  to  save  your  lives,'  said  the  prophet.  Haun  replied  that 
if  the  settlers  should  abandon  their  homes,  the  Gentiles  would 
burn  their  houses  and  other  buildings  and  destroy  all  of  the  proper- 
ty left  behind.  'Better  lose  your  property  than  your  lives,'  re- 
joined Smith.  Haun  represented  that  he  and  his  neighbors  were 
willing  to  defend  themselves  against  what  he  called  the  mob,  and 
Smith  finally  gave  them  permission  to  remain.  Others  at  the  mill 
opposed  a  retreat  and  when  an  old  man  named  Myers  reminded 
them  how  few  they  were  and  how  many  the  Gentiles  numbered, 
they  declared  that  the  Almighty  would  send  his  angels  to  their  help 
when  the  day  of  battle  should  come.  Some  of  the  women,  too, 
urged  the  men  to  stand  firm  and  offered  to  mould  bullets  and  pre- 
pare patching  for  the  rifles  if  necessary.  North  of  the  mill  was  a 
timber  half  a  mile  in  width,  skirting  Shoal  Creek;  beyond  was  a 
stretch  of  prairie.  For  a  day  or  two  Capt.  Evans  kept  a  picket 
post  in  the  northern  border  of  the  timber,  but  on  the  28th  he  en- 
tered into  a  sort  of  truce  with  Capt.  Nehemiah  Comstock,  com- 
manding a  Company  of  Livingston  "Gentiles"  from  the  settle- 
ments near  Mooresville  and  Utica,  and  the  post  was  withdrawn. 
By  the  terms  of  this  truce  which  was  effected  by  a  messenger  who 
rode  between  Evans  and  Comstock,  the  Gentiles  were  to  let  the 
Mormons  alone  as  long  as  the  latter  were  peaceable  and  vice  versa. 
Each  party,  too,  was  to  disband  its  military  organization.  But  on 
the  morning  of  the  29th  the  Mormons  learned  that  a  company  of 
Livingston  militia,  a  few  miles  to  the  eastward,  were  menacing 
them,  and  so  they  maintained  their  organization  and  that  night  set 
watches.  The  latter  company  was  commanded  by  Captain  William 
Mann,  and  for  some  days  had  been  operating  at  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Whitney's  mill,  on  the  lower  Shoal  Creek  (where  the  village  of 
Dawn  now  stands),  stopping  Mormon  emigrants  on  their  way  from 
the  East  to  Caldwell  county,  turning  them  back  in  some  instances, 
taking  their  arms  from  them  in  others,  etc. 

"On  the  29th  at  Woolsey's,  northeast  of  Breckenridge,  an 
agreement  was  reached  by  the  Gentiles  for  an  attack  upon  Haun's 
mill.  There  companies  numbering  in  the  aggregate  about  two 
hundred  men  were  organized.  They  were  commanded  by  Captain 
Nehemiah  Comstock,  William  O.  Jennings  and  William  Gee.  The 
command  of  the  battalion  was  given  to  Col.  Thomas  Jennings,  an 
old  militia  officer,  then  living  in  the  Forks,  nearly  all  of  the  men  were 
citizens  of  Livingston  county.  Perhaps  twenty  were  from  Daviess 
from  whence  they  had  been  driven  by  the  Mormons,  and  vowed 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  39 

the  direct  vengenee  on  the  entire  sect.  It  did  not  matter  whether 
or  not  the  Mormons  at  the  mill  had  taken  any  part  in  the  disturb- 
ances which  had  occurred;  it  was  enough  they  were  Mormons. 
The  Livingston  men  became  thoroughly  inbued  with  the  same 
spirit,  and  all  were  eager  for  the  raid. 

"The  Livingston  men  had  no  wrongs  to  complain  of  them- 
selves, for  the  Mormons  had  never  invaded  their  county,  or  in- 
jured them  in  any  way;  but  they  seemed  to  feel  an  extraordinary 
sympathy  for  the  outrages  suffered  by  their  neighbors. 

"Setting  out  from  Woolsey's  after  noon  on  the  30th,  Col. 
Jennings  marched  swiftly  out  of  the  timber  northwest  of  the  present 
village  of  Mooresville,  and  out  on  the  prairie  stretching  down  south- 
wards towards  the  doomed  hamlet  at  Haun's  Mill.  The  word  was 
passed  along  the  column,  'Shoot  at  every  thing  wearing  breeches, 
and  shoot  to  kill.' 

"All  the  Gentiles  were  mounted,  and  they  had  with  them  a 
wagon  and  two  Mormon  prisoners.  Within  two  miles  of  the  mill 
the  wagon  and  prisoners  were  left  in  charge  of  a  squad,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  force  passed  rapidly  on.  Entering  the  timber 
north  of  the  Mill,  Colonel  Jennings  forced  through  it,  unobserved 
right  up  to  the  borders  of  the  settlement  and  speedily  formed  his 
line  for  the  attack.  Capt.  W.  O.  Jennings'  Company  had  the  center, 
Capt.  Comstock's  the  left,  and  Capt.  Gee's  the  right.  The  Mor- 
mon leader  had  somehow  become  apprehensive  of  trouble.  He 
communicated  his  fears  to  some  of  the  men,  and  was  about  sending 
out  scouts  and  pickets.  It  had  been  previously  agreed  that  in 
case  of  attack  the  men  should  repair  to  the  blacksmith  shop  and 
occupy  it  as  a  fort  or  blockhouse.  This  structure  was  built  of  logs, 
with  wide  cracks  between  them;  was  about  eighteen  feet  square 
and  had  a  large,  wide  door.  The  greater  part  of  the  Mormons 
were,  however,  unsuspicious  of  any  imminent  peril.  Children 
were  playing  on  the  banks  of  the  creek,  women  were  engaged  in 
their  ordinary  domestic  duties,  the  newly  arrived  immigrants  were 
resting  under  the  trees,  which  were  clad  in  the  scarlet  crimson  and 
golden  leaves  of  autumn.  The  scene  was  peaceful  and  Acadian. 
It  was  now  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  the  sun  hung  low 
and  red  in  a  beautiful  Indian  summer  sky. 

"Suddenly,  from  out  the  timber  north  and  west  of  the  mill,  the 
Gentiles  burst  upon  the  hamlet.  The  air  was  filled  with  shouts 
and  shots,  and  the  fight  was  on.  It  cannot  be  fairly  called  a  fight. 
Taken  wholly  by  surprise,  the  Mormons  were  thrown  into  extreme 
confusion.  The  women  and  children  cried  and  screamed  in  excite- 
ment and  terror,  and  the  greater  number,  directed  by  some  of  the 
men,  ran  across  the  mill  dam  to  the  south  bank  of  the  creek  and 
sought  shelter  in  the  woods. 


40  MISSOURI   HISTORICAL   REVIEW. 

"Perhaps  twenty  men,  Captain  Evans  among  them,  ran  with 
their  guns  to  the  blacksmith  shop  and  began  to  return  the  fire. 
Some  were  shot  down  in  their  attempts  to  reach  the  shop. 

"The  fire  of  the  Mormons  was  wild  and  inaffective;  that  of  the 
militia  was  accurate  and  deadly.  The  cracks  between  the  logs 
of  the  shop  were  so  large  that  it  was  easy  to  shoot  through  them, 
and  so  thickly  were  the  Mormons  huddled  together  on  the  inside 
that  nearly  every  bullet  which  entered  the  shop  killed  or  wounded  a 
man.  Firing  was  kept  up  all  the  while  on  the  fleeing  fugitives,  and 
many  were  shot  down  as  they  ran. 

"Realizing  very  soon  that  he  was  placed  at  a  decided  disad- 
vantage. Captain  Evans  gave  orders  to  rereat,  directing  every  man 
to  take  care  of  himself.  The  door  of  the  shop  was  thrown  open 
and  all  of  the  able  bodied  survivors  ran  out,  endeavoring  to  reach 
the  woods.  Some  were  shot  before  reaching  shelter.  Captain  Evans 
was  much  excited  and  ran  all  the  way  to  Mud  Creek,  seven  miles 
south,  with  his  gun  loaded,  not  having  discharged  it  during  the 
fight.  The  Gentiles  advanced,  and  began  to  use  their  rough,  home- 
made swords,  or  corn  knives,  with  which  some  of  them  were  armed. 
The  fugitives  were  fired  on  until  they  were  out  of  range,  but  not 
pursued,  as  the  few  who  escaped  scattered  in  almost  every  direc- 
tion. 

"Coming  upon  the  field  after  it  had  been  abandoned,  the 
Gentiles  perpetrated  some  terrible  deeds.  At  least  three  of  the 
wounded  were  hacked  to  death  with  the  corn  knives  or  finished 
with  a  rifle  bullet.  William  Reynolds,  a  Livingston  County  man, 
entered  the  blacksmith  shop  and  found  a  little  boy,  only  ten  years 
of  age,  named  Sardnis  Smith,  hiding  under  the  bellows.  Without 
even  demanding  his  surrender  the  cruel  wretch  drew  up  his  rifle 
and  shot  the  little  fellow  as  he  lay  cowering  and  trembling.  Rey- 
nolds afterward  boasted  of  his  exploit  to  persons  yet  living.  He 
described  with  fiendish  glee  how  the  poor  child  kicked  and  squealed 
in  his  djing  agonies,  and  justified  his  inhuman  act  by  the  old  Indian 
aphorism,  *Nits  will  make  lice.* 

"Charley  Merrick,  another  little  boy  only  nine  years  old,  had 
hid  under  the  bellows.  He  ran  out  but  did  not  get  very  far  until 
he  received  a  load  of  buckshot  and  a  rifle  ball,  in  all  three  wounds. 
He  did  not  die,  however,  for  nearly  five  weeks.  Esquire  Thomas 
McBride  was  seventy-eight  years  of  age  and  had  been  a  soldier  un- 
der Gates  and  Washington  in  the  Revolution.  He  had  started  for 
the  blacksmith  shop,  but  was  shot  down  on  the  way,  and  lay 
wounded  and  helpless,  but  still  alive.  A  Daviess  County  man 
named  Rogers,  who  kept  a  ferry  across  Grand  River,  near  Gallatin, 
came  upon  him  and  demanded  his  gun.  'Take  it,*  said  McBride. 
Rogers  picked  up  the  weapon  and  finding  that  it  was  loaded  de- 
liberately discharged  it   into  the  old  veteran's  breast.     He  then 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.          41 

cut  and  hacked  the  body  with  his  corn  knife  until  it  was  fright- 
fully gashed  and  mangled. 

"After  the  Mormons  had  all  been  either  killed,  wounded  or 
driven  away,  the  Gentiles  began  to  loot  the  place.  Considerable 
property  was  taken,  much  of  the  spoil  consisting  of  household 
articles  and  personal  effects.  At  least  three  wagons  and  perhaps 
ten  horses  were  taken.  Two  emigrant  wagons  were  driven  off  with 
all  their  contents.  The  Mormons  claim  that  there  was  a  general 
pillage,  and  that  even  the  bodies  of  the  slain  were  robbed.  The 
Gentiles  deny  this  and  say  that  the  wagons  were  needed  to  haul  off 
their  three  wounded  men,  and  the  bedding  was  taken  to  make  them 
comfortable,  while  the  articles  taken  did  not  amount  to  much. 
Two  of  the  survivors  have  stated  to  me  that  the  place  was  pretty 
well  cleaned  out. 

"Colonel  Jennings  did  not  remain  at  the  mill  more  than  two 
hours.  Twilight  approaching,  he  set  out  on  his  return  to  his 
former  encampment.  He  feared  a  rally  and  return  of  the  Mormons 
with  a  large  reinforcement,  and  doubtless  he  desired  to  reflect 
leisurely  on  his  course  of  future  operations.  Reaching  Woolsey's, 
he  halted  his  battalion  and  prepared  to  pass  the  night.  But  a  few 
hours  later  he  imagined  he  heard  cannon  and  a  great  tumult  in  the 
direction  of  Haun's  Mill;  betokening,  as  he  thought,  the  advance 
of  a  large  Mormon  force  upon  him.  Rousing  his  men  from  their 
sweet  dreams  of  the  victory,  he  broke  camp,  moved  rapidly  east- 
ward, and  never  halted  until  he  had  put  the  West  Fork  of  Grand 
River  between  him  and  his  annoying  pursuers.  He  and  his  men 
had  won  glory  enough  for  one  day  and  how!  They  had  not  lost  a 
man  killed  and  only  three  wounded.    John  Renfrow  had  his  thumb 

shot  off.     Allen  England  was  shot  in  the  thigh,  and Hart 

in  the  arm.     The  Mormon  killed  and  mortally  wounded  numbered 
seventeen.     Here  are  the  names: 

Thomas  McBride  Augustine  Harmer 

Levi  N.  Merrick  Simon  Cox 

Elias  Benner  Hiram  Abbott 

Josiah  Fuller  John  York 

Benjamin  Lewis  John  Lee 

Alexander  Campbell  John  Byers 

George  S.  Richards  Warren  Smith 

William  Napier  Charles  Merrick,  aged  9 

Sardnis  Smith,  aged  10. 

"The  severely  wounded  numbered  eleven  men,  one  boy  (Alma 
Smith,  aged  7),  and  one  woman,  a  Miss  Mary  Stedwell.  The 
latter  was  shot  through  the  hand  and  arm  as  she  was  running  to 
the  woods.  Dies  irae!  Bloody  work  and  woeful.  What  a  scene 
did  Colonel  Jennings  and  his  men  turn  their  backs  upon  as  they  rode 


42  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

away  in  the  gloaming  from  the  little  valley  once  all  green  and  peace- 
ful! The  wounded  men  had  been  given  no  attention  and  the  bodies 
of  the  slain  had  been  left  to  fester  and  putrefy  in  the  Indian  Summer 
temperature,  warm  and  mellowing.  A  large  red  moon  rose,  and  a 
fog  came  up  from  the  streams  and  lay  like  a  face  cloth  upon  the 
pallid  countenances  of  the  dead. 

"Timidly  and  warily  came  forth  the  widows  and  orphans  from 
their  hiding  places,  and  as  they  recognized  one  a  husband  and  one 
a  father,  another  a  son,  and  another  a  brother  among  the  slain,  the 
wailings  of  grief  and  terror  were  most  pitiful.  All  that  night  were 
they  alone  with  their  dead  and  wounded.  There  were  no  physi- 
cians, but  if  there  had  been,  many  of  the  wounded  were  past  all 
surgery.  Dreadful  sights  in  the  moonlight,  and  dreadful  sounds  on 
the  night  winds.  In  the  hamlet  the  groans  of  the  wounded,  the 
moans  and  sobs  of  the  grief  stricken,  the  bellowing  of  cattle,  and 
the  howling  of  dogs,  and  from  the  black  woods  the  dismal  hooting 
of  owls. 

"By  and  by,  when  the  wounded  had  been  made  as  comfortable 
as  possible,  the  few  men  who  had  returned  gathered  the  women  and 
children  together,  and  all  sought  consolation  in  prayer.  Then 
they  sang  from  the  Mormon  hymn  book  a  selection  entitled  "Mo- 
roni's Lamentation,"  a  dirge-like  composition  lacking  in  poesy  and 
deficient  in  rhythm,  but  giving  something  of  comfort,  let  us  hope, 
to  the  Choristers.  And  so  in  prayer  and  song  and  ministration 
the  remainder  of  the  night  was  passed. 

"The  next  morning  the  corpses  had  changed,  and  were  chang- 
ing fast.  They  must  be  buried.  There  were  not  enough  men 
left  to  make  cofl&ns  or  even  dig  graves.  It  could  not  be  determined 
when  relief  would  come  or  when  the  Gentiles  would  return.  There 
was  a  large  unfinished  well  near  the  mill,  which  it  was  decided 
should  be  used  as  a  common  sepulcher.  Four  men,  one  of  whom 
was  Joseph  W.  Young,  a  brother  of  Brigham  Young,  gathered  up 
the  bodies,  the  women  assisting,  and  bore  them,  one  at  a  time,  on 
a  large  plank  to  the  well,  and  slid  them  in.  Some  hay  was  strewn 
upon  the  gastly  pile  and  then  a  thin  layer  of  dirt  thrown  upon  the 
hay. 

"The  next  day  Captain  Comstock's  company  returned  to  the 
Mill,  as  they  said,  to  bury  the  dead.  Finding  that  duty  had  been 
attended  to,  they  expressed  considerable  satisfacton  at  having  been 
relieved  of  the  job,  and,  after  notifying  the  people  that  they  must 
leave  the  state  or  they  would  all  be  killed,  they  rode  away.  The 
pit  was  subsequently  filled  by  Mr.  C.  R.  Ross,  now  a  resident  of 
Black  Oak,  Cladwell  County. 

"A  day  or  two  after  the  massacre.  Colonel  Jennings  started 
with  his  battalion  to  join  the  state  forces  at  Far  West.  He  had  not 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         43 

proceeded  far  when  he  met  a  messenger  who  informed  him  that  the 
Mormons  at  Far  West  had  surrendered,  and  gave  him  an  order  to 
move  to  Daviess  County  and  join  the  forces  under  General  Robert 
Wilson,  then  operating  against  the  Mormons  at  Adam-ondi-Ahman. 
The  battalion  was  present  at  the  surrender  at  Diamon  as  it  is 
generally  called,  and  a  day  or  two  thereafter  Captain  Comstock's 
company  was  ordered  to  Haun's  Mill,  where  it  remained  in  camp 
for  some  weeks.  Herewith  I  give  an  extract  from  an  affidavit 
made  by  Mrs.  Amanda  Smith,  whose  husband  and  little  son  were 
killed  in  the  massacre,  and  who  resided  at  the  Mill  during  the  stay 
of  Comstock's  company: 

*The  next  day  the  mob  came  back.  They  told  us 
we  must  leave  the  state  forthwith  or  be  killed.  It  was 
bad  weather,  and  they  had  taken  our  teams  and  clothes; 
our  men  were  all  dead  or  wounded.  I  told  them  they 
might  kill  me  and  my  children  and  welcome.  They  said 
to  us,  from  time  to  time,  if  we  did  not  leave  the  state  they 
would  come  and  kill  us.  We  could  not  leave  then.  We 
had  little  prayer  meetings;  they  said  if  we  did  not  stop 
them  they  would  kill  every  man,  woman  and  child.  We 
had  spelling  schools  for  our  little  children;  they  pretended 
they  were  "Mormon  Meetings"  and  said  if  we  did  not 
stop  them  they  would  kill  every  man,  woman,  and  child. 
*  *  *  *  I  started  the  1st  of  February,  very  cold 
weather,  for  Illinois, with  five  small  children  and  no  money. 
It  was  mob  all  the  way.  I  drove  the  team,  and  we  slept 
out  of  doors.  We  suffered  greatly  from  hunger,  cold  and 
fatigue;  and  for  what?  For  our  religion.  In  this  boasted 
land   of  liberty.     "Deny  your  faith  or  die"  was  the  cry.' 

"While  in  camp  at  the  Mill,  according  to  statements  to  me  of 
two  of  its  members,  Comstock's  company  lived  off  the  country,  as 
did  the  state  troops  at  Far  West.  The  Mormon  cattle  and  hogs 
had  been  turned  into  the  fields  and  were  fine  and  fat.  The  mill 
furnished  flour  and  meal,  and  other  articles  of  provision  were  to  be 
had  for  the  taking.  The  Mormon  men  were  either  prisoners  or 
had  been  driven  from  the  country.  By  the  1st  of  April  following 
all  had  left  the  state.  Many  of  them  had  been  killed,  their  houses 
burned,  their  property  taken,  their  fields  laid  waste,  and  the  re- 
sult was  called  peace. — Burr  Joyce." 


44  missouri  historical  review. 

Surrender  of  the  Mormons  at  Far  West. 

The  state  militia  ordered  out  by  Governor  Lilburn  W. 
Boggs  under  Generals  Lucas,  Wilson  and  Doniphan  arrived 
in  the  vicinity  of  Far  West  on  the  afternoon  of  October  30, 
1838.  This  army,  with  the  reinforcements  that  arrived  on  the 
following  day,  constituted  a  force  of  perhaps  twenty-two  hun- 
dred to  three  thousand  men.  This  army  went  into  camp 
about  a  mile  from  Far  West  on  the  night  of  October  30.  The 
Mormons  designated  their  own  armed  men  as  the  militia  of 
Far  West  and  this  local  force  was  busy  all  that  night,  build- 
ing temporary  fortifications,  while  the  women  busied  them- 
selves getting  their  valuables  together.  A  battle  was  expected 
in  the  morning.  Colonel  Lyman  Wight  was  at  Adam-ondi- 
Ahman  and  he  was  sent  for.  He  arrived  with  one  hundred 
and  twenty  men  on  the  morning  of  October  3  L  A  flag  of  truce 
was  either  sent  from  the  militia  camp  to  Far  West  or  else  was 
sent  under  the  advice  of  Colonel  Wight  from  Far  West  to 
the  militia  camp,  it  is  not  very  clear  as  to  which  thing  really 
happened.  But  it  is  clear  that  undei  a  flag  of  truce  at  some 
point  outside  the  city  of  Far  West  at  about  eight  o'clock  on 
that  morning  Colonel  George  M.  Hinkle  and  John  Corrill, 
representing  the  Mormons,  met  certain  officers  of  the  militia 
forces  and  Colonel  Hinkle,  who  was  presumed  to  be  in  com- 
mand of  the  Mormon  armed  force,  secretly  entered  into  an 
agreement  to  surrender  under  stipulations  as  follows: 

1st.  To  give  up  the  leaders  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Lattei  Day  Saints  to  be  tried  and  punished. 

2nd.  To  make  an  appropriation  of  the  property  of  all 
who  had  taken  up  arms,  for  the  payment  of  their  debts  and 
to  indemnify  for  damages  done  by  them. 

3rd.  That  the  rest  of  the  membership  of  the  chuich 
should  leave  the  state  under  the  protection  of  the  militia,  but 
should  be  permitted  to  remain  under  protection  until  further 
orders  were  received  from  the  commander  in  chief. 

4th.  To  give  up  the  arms  of  every  description,  the  same 
to  be  receipted  for. 

Colonel  Hinkle  then  returned  to  Far  West  and  reported 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.          45 

that  the  chief  officers  of  the  enemy  army  desired  an  interview 
with  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  George 
W.  Robinson  and  Lyman  Wight,  all  of  whom  accompanied 
Colonel  Hinkle  back  to  the  militia  camp,  where  they  were 
met  by  Generals  Lucas,  Wilson  and  Doniphan,  to  whom  Col- 
onel Hinkle  delivered  the  aforesaid  leaders  of  the  church  as 
prisoners  of  war,  much  to  their  surprise.  These  prisoners 
were  placed  under  a  strong  guard  and  taken  into  camp  where 
they  found  a  number  of  prisoners  already,  including  Stephen 
Winchester  and  the  Brother  Carey,  whose  skull  had  been 
crushed.  Winchester,  with  eleven  other  prisoners  volun- 
teered, with  permission  of  the  officers,  to  take  Carey  to  his 
home  in  Far  West.  This  was  granted  and  Carey  died  shortly 
after  reaching  his  family. 

On  Thursday,  November  1,  Hyrum  Smith  and  Amasa 
Lyman  were  brought  into  the  militia  camp  as  additional 
Mormon  prisoners,  and  placed  under  the  guard  with  the  other 
church  leaders.  On  this  morning  General  Lucas  ordered 
Colonel  Hinkle  to  march  out  his  Mormon  troops  and  cause 
them  to  deliver  up  their  arms.  This  was  done  at  once.  The 
arms  thus  surrendered  were  the  private  property  of  the  men 
who  marched  out  under  Colonel  Hinkle's  orders.  After  which 
the  militia  troops  marched  into  Far  West  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  town — made  a  thorough  search  for  fire  arms,  tore 
up  floors,  overturned  haystacks,  carried  away  some  valuable 
property  and  compelled  the  real  estate  owners  to  sign  deeds 
of  trust  to  cover  the  expenses  of  the  so-called  war,  as  pro- 
vided for  in  the  second  stipulation  of  the  treaty  made  for  the 
church  by  Col.  Hinkle. 

About  eighty  additional  men  were  made  prisoners.  All 
the  remaining  Mormons  were  ordered  to  leave  the  state  of 
Missouri. 

While  this  was  going  on,  a  court  martial  was  convened 
at  the  militia  camp  and  all  of  the  aforesaid  church  leaders  were 
given  some  sort  of  a  hearing  before  it,  despite  the  fact  that 
none  of  them  except  Lyman  Wight,  was  in  any  sense  con- 
nected with  the  military,  and  that  military  court  sentenced 
every  man  of  them  to  be  shot. 


46  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL   REVIEW. 

General  Doniphan  was  selected  as  the  officer  to  execute 
the  findings  of  the  court,  and  the  following  order  was  deliveied 
to  him: 

"Brigadier  General  Doniphan:  Sir:  You  will  take 
Joseph  Smith  and  the  other  prisoneis  into  the  public  square 
of  Far  West,  and  shoot  them  at  nine  o'clock  tomorrow  morning. 

Samuel  D.  Lucas, 
Major  General  Commanding." 

To  this  command  General  Doniphan  made  immediate 
reply  as  per  the  following  communication : 

"It  is  cold-blooded  murder,  I  will  not  obey  your  order. 
My  brigade  will  march  for  Liberty  tomorrow  morning  at 
eight  o'clock;  and  if  you  execute  those  men,  I  will  hold  you 
responsible  before  an  earthly  tribunal,  so  help  me  God! 

A.  W.  Doniphan, 
Brigadier  General." 

None  of  the  prisoners  was  executed  nor  was  General 
Doniphan  ever  called  to  account  for  his  insubordination. 

On  Friday,  November  2,  Dr.  Sampson  Avard  was  found 
by  the  militia,  hidden  in  some  hazel  brush,  and  brought  into 
camp.  Later  he  offered  much  testimony  against  his  brethren 
in  the  church.  On  this  day  the  church  leaders  were  taken  into 
Far  West,  and  were  permitted  under  a  strong  guard  to  see 
their  respective  families.  Much  feeling  had  become  manifest 
in  the  church  by  this  time  against  Colonel  George  M.  Hinkle, 
because  of  his  action  in  delivering  his  brethren  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy.  He  was  expelled  from  the  church  and  was 
ever  after  held  in  contempt  by  his  brethren,  who  have  always 
looked  upon  him  as  a  traitor.  He  removed  to  Iowa  where  he 
afterward  died  afar  from  any  members  of  his  former  church. 
Though  his  action  no  doubt  saved  many  lives,  for  the  militia 
forces  outnumbered  his  little  army  perhaps  five  to  one,  his 
conduct  in  telling  the  designated  Moimon  leaders  that  Gen- 
eral Lucas  wanted  to  confer  with  them,  whereas  he  had  agreed 
to  surrender  them  up  foi  punishment,  was  never  forgotten  by 
the  Church  membership,  nor  did  the  Church  membership  ever 
approve  of  article  2  of  the  contract  between  Hinkle  and  Lucas, 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         47 

which  was  afterward  interpreted  to  hold  the  Church  member- 
ship liable  for  the  payment  of  the  debts  of  the  war  waged 
against  them,  and  which  stripped  them  of  their  property. 
That  treaty  put  the  Mormons  in  the  light  of  being  a  foreign 
nation,  or  of  being  a  people  in  rebellion  with  belligerent  rights 
and  therefore  with  power  to  contract  a  treaty  whereas  they 
were  certainly  citizens  of  Missouri,  subject  to  the  laws  of  the 
state,  and  if  they  violated  the  law  should  have  been  tried  in 
civil  courts.  They  were  expelled  from  the  state,  however, 
without  a  hearing. 

At  this  time  General  John  B.  Clark  was  on  his  way  to 
assume  supreme  command  at  Far  West.  He  was  armed  with 
a  letter  from  Governor  Boggs,  that  in  part  said : 

"The  case  is  now  a  very  plain  one.  The  Mormons  must  be 
subdued  and  peace  restored  to  the  community.  You  will  therefore 
proceed  without  delay  to  execute  the  former  orders.  Full  con- 
fidence is  reposed  in  your  ability  to  do  so.  Your  force  will  be  amply 
sufficient  to  accomplish  the  object.  Should  you  need  the  aid  of 
artillery,  I  would  suggest  that  an  application  be  made  to  the  com- 
manding officer  at  Fort  Leavenworth  for  such  as  you  may  need. 
You  are  authorized  to  request  the  loan  of  it  in  the  name  of  the 
State  of  Missouri. 

"The  ringleaders  of  this  rebellion  should  be  made  an  example 
of,  and  if  it  should  become  necessary  for  the  public  peace,  the 
Mormons  should  be  exterminated  or  expelled  from  the  state." 

On  November  the  4th  General  Clark  arrived  in  Far  West 
and  assumed  command.  On  the  6th  he  gathered  the  people 
of  Far  West  on  the  public  square  and  said  to  them : 

"Gentlemen:  You,  whose  names  are  not  attached  to  this  list 
of  names  will  now  have  the  privilege  of  going  to  your  fields  and  pro- 
viding corn,  wood,  etc.,  for  your  families.  Those  who  are  now 
taken,  will  go  from  this  to  prison,  be  tried  and  receive  the  due  de- 
merit of  their  crimes.  But  you  (except  such  as  charges  may  here- 
after be  preferred  against)  are  now  at  liberty  as  soon  afe  the  troops 
are  removed  that  now  guard  the  place,  which  I  shall  cause  to  be 
done  immediately.  It  now  devolves  upon  you  to  fulfill  the  treaty 
that  you  have  entered  into,  the  leading  items  of  which  I  shall  now 
lay  before  you: 

"The  first  requires  that  your  leading  men  be  given  up  to  be 
tried  according  to  law;  this  you  have  already  complied  with. 


48  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL   REVIEW. 

"The  second  is  that  you  deliver  up  your  arms;  this  has  been 
attended  to. 

"The  third  stipulation  is,  that  you  sign  over  your  properties 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  war;  this  you  have  also  done. 

"Another  article  yet  remains  for  you  to  comply  with,  and  that 
is,  that  you  leave  the  state  forthwith;  and  whatever  may  be  your 
feelings  concerning  this,  or  whatever  your  innocence,  it  is  nothing 
to  me.  General  Lucas,  who  is  equal  in  authority  with  me,  has 
made  this  tresaty  with  you.  I  approve  of  it.  I  should  have  done 
the  same,  had  I  been  here,  I  am  therefore  determined  to  see  it  ful- 
filled. The  character  of  this  state  has  suffered  almost  beyond  re- 
demption from  the  character,conduct,  and  influence  that  you  have 
exerted;  and  we  deem  it  an  act  of  justice  to  restore  her  character  to 
its  former  standing  among  the  states,  by  every  proper  means. 

"The  orders  of  the  Governor  to  me  were,  that  you  should  be 
exterminated,  and  not  allowed  to  remain  in  the  state;  and  had  your 
leaders  not  been  given  up,  and  the  terms  of  the  treaty  complied 
with  before  this,  you  and  your  families  would  have  been  destroyed 
and  your  houses  in  ashes.  There  is  a  discretionary  power  vested  in 
my  hands  which  I  shall  exercise  in  your  favor  for  a  season!  For 
this  lenity  you  are  indebted  to  my  clemency.  I  do  not  say  that 
you  shall  go  now,  but  you  must  not  think  of  staying  here  another 
season;  or  of  putting  in  crops,  for  the  moment  you  do  this  the  citi- 
zens will  be  upon  you.  If  I  am  called  here  again,  in  case  of  a  non- 
compliance of  a  treaty  made,  do  not  think  that  I  shall  act  any  more 
as  I  have  done — you  need  not  expect  any  mercy  but  extermination, 
for  I  am  determined  that  the  Governor's  order  shall  be  executed. 
As  for  your  leaders,  do  not  once  think — do  not  imagine  for  a  moment 
— do  not  let  it  enter  your  mind,  that  they  will  be  delivered,  or  that 
you  will  see  their  faces  again,  for  their  fate  is  fixed,  their  die  is 
cast — their  doom  is  sealed! 

"I  am  sorry  gentlemen,  to  see  so  great  a  number  of  apparently 
intelligent  men  found  in  the  situation  that  you  are;  and  oh!  that  I 
could  invoke  that  Great  Spirit,  the  Unknown  God,  to  rest  upon  you, 
and  make  you  sufficiently  intelligent  to  break  that  chain  of  super- 
stition, and  liberate  you  from  those  fetters  of  fanaticism,  with 
which  you  are  bound — that  you  no  longer  worship  a  man. 

"I  would  advise  you  to  scatter  abroad,  and  never  again  or- 
ganize yourselves  with  Bishops,  Presidents,  etc.,  lest  you  excite  the 
jealousies  of  the  people  and  subject  yourselves  to  the  same  calami- 
ties that  have  now  come  upon  you. 

"Tou  have  always  been  the  aggressors — you  have  brought 
upon  yourselves  these  difficulties  by  being  disaffected  and  not  being 
subject  to  rule — and  my  advice  is,  that  you  become  as  other  citizens, 
lest  by  a  recurrence  of  these  events  you  bring  upon  yourselves  irre- 
trievable ruin." — (Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  p  .555.) 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  49 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  THE 
MORMON  WAR. 

ROLLIN  J.    BRITTON. 
THIRD  ARTICLE. 
THE  MORMONS  EXPELLED  FROM  DAVIESS  COUNTY. 

On  November  6, 1838,  the  Governor  wrote  General  Clark, 
authorizing  and  directing  him  to  hold  a  Military  Court  of 
inquiry  in  Daviess  county.    The  order  read  as  follows: 

"It  will  also  be  necessary  that  you  hold  a  Military  Court  of 
inquiry  in  Daviess  county,  and  arrest  the  Mormons  who  have  been 
guilty  of  the  late  outrages  committed  towards  the  inhabitants  of 
said  county.  My  instructions  to  you  are  to  settle  this  whole  matter 
completely,  if  possible,  before  you  disband  your  forces.  If  the 
Mormons  are  disposed  voluntarily  to  leave  the  State,  of  course  it 
would  be  advisable  in  you  to  promote  that  object  in  any  way  deemed 
proper.  The  ringleaders  of  their  rebellion,  though  ought  by  no 
means  to  be  permitted  to  escape  the  punishment  they  merit." 
{Millenial  Star  Vol.  16,  pp.  555-556.) 

General  Clark  ordered  Brigadier  General  Robert  Wilson 
to  Adam-ondi-Ahman  for  the  purpose  of  this  inquiry. 

General  Wilson  arrived  at  Adam-ondi-Ahman  November 
8,  1838,  and  immediately  put  a  guard  around  the  town,  with 
instructions  to  allow  no  person  to  pass  in  or  out  without 
permission.  He  then  put  every  man  in  town  under  guard  and 
instituted  a  court  of  inquiry  with  Adam  Black,  before  men- 
tioned, on  the  bench,  and  a  soldier  of  General  Clark's  command 
acting  as  Prosecuting  Attorney.  After  three  days  investiga- 
tion every  man  was  by  this  court  "honorably  acquitted". 

After  this  acquittal  General  Wilson  issued  an  order 
that  every  family  must  be  out  of  town  within  ten  days,  with 
permission  to  go  to  Caldwell  county  for  the  winter,  then  to 
leave  the  State  under  pain  of  extermination.  Here  is  a 
specimen  of  the  permits  granted  to  men  against  whom  a  charge 
had  been  sustained. 


50  MISSOURI   HISTORICAL    REVIEW. 

"I  permit  David  Holman  to  remove  from  Daviess  to  Caldwell 
County,  there  to  remain  during  the  winter,  or  to  pass  out  of  the 
State. 

R.  Wilson,  Brigadier  General, 
By  F.  G.  C,  Aid." 
November  10,  1838. 

There  was  an  agreement  made  between  the  mob  and  the 
saints  by  which  the  latter  could  obtain  their  stock  with  the 
consent  of  their  opponents.    The  agreement  was  as  follows : 

1.  That  the  Mormon  Committee  be  allowed  to  employ, 
say  twenty  teamsters  for  the  purpose  of  hauling  of  their  property. 

2.  That  the  Mormon  Committee  collect  whatever  stock  they 
may  have  in  Daviess  County  at  some  point,  and  some  two  or  three 
of  the  Daviess  County  Committee  be  notified  to  attend  for  the 
purpose  of  examining  said  stock,  and  convey  or  attend  the  Mormon 
Committee  out  of  the  Hmits  of  the  county,  and  it  is  further 
understood  that  the  Mormon  Committee  is  not  to  drive  or  take 
from  this  county  any  stock  of  any  description  at  any  other  time 
nor  under  any  other  circumstances  than  these  mentioned. 

As  witness  our  hands: 

William  P.  Peniston, 
Dr.  K.  Kerr, 
Adam  Black, 
Committee. 
The  above  propositions  were  made  and  agreed  to  by  the 
undersigned  committee  on  the  part  of  the  Mormons. 

WilUam  Hunnington, 
B.  S.  Wilber, 
J.  H.  Hale, 

Henry,  Herriman,  Z.  Wilson. 
{Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  pp.  566,  567.) 

At  this  time  a  citizen  of  Clay  county,  wrote  the  following 
letter  to  members  of  the  legislature: 

"M.  Arthur,  Esq.,  to  the  Representatives  from  Clay  County: 

Liberty,  November  29,  1838. 
"Respected  Friends:  Humanity  to  an  injured  people  prompts 
me  at  present  to  address  you  thus:  You  were  aware  of  the  treat- 
ment (to  some  extent  before  you  left  home)  received  by  that  un- 
fortunate race  of  beings  called  the  Mormons,  from  Daviess,  in  the 
form  of  human  beings  inhabiting  Daviess,  Livingston  and  a  part 
of  Ray  County;  not  being  satisfied  with  the  relinquishment  of  all 
their  rights  as  citizens  and  human  beings,  in  the  treaty  forced  upon 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  51 

them  by  General  Lucas,  by  giving  up  their  arms  and  throwing 
themselves  upon  the  mercy  of  the  State  and  their  fellow  citizens 
generally,  hoping  thereby  protection  of  their  lives  and  property, 
are  now  receiving  treatment  from  those  demons  that  makes  human- 
ity shudder,  and  the  cold  chills  run  over  any  man  not  entirely 
destitute  of  any  feeling  of  humanity. 

"The  demons  are  now  constantly  strolling  up  and  down  Cald- 
well County,  in  small  companies  armed,  insulting  the  women  in  any 
and  every  way  and  plundering  the  poor  devils  of  all  the  means  of 
subsistence  (scanty  as  it  was)  left  them,  and  driving  off  their  horses, 
cattle,  hogs,  etc.,  and  rifling  their  houses  and  farms  of  everything 
therein,  taking  beds,  bedding,  wardrobe,  and  all  such  things  as 
they  see  they  want,  leaving  the  poor  Mormons  in  a  starving  and 
naked  condition. 

"These  are  facts  I  have  from  authority  that  cannot  be  ques- 
tioned, and  can  be  maintained  and  substantiated  at  any  time. 
There  is  now  a  petition  afloat  in  our  town,  signed  by  the  citizens  of 
all  parties  and  grades,  which  will  be  sent  you  in  a  few  days  praying 
the  legislature  to  make  some  speedy  enactment  applicable  to  their 
case.  They  are  entirely  willing  to  leave  our  State  as  soon  as  this 
inclement  season  is  over,  and  a  number  have  already  left,  and  are 
leaving  daily,  scattering  themselves  to  the  four  winds  of  the  earth. 

"Now,  sirs,  I  do  not  want  by  any  means  to  dictate  to  you  the 
course  to  be  pursued,  but  one  fact  I  will  merely  suggest,  I  this  day 
was  conversing  with  Mr.  George  M.  Pryer,  who  is  just  from  Far 
West,  relating  the  outrages  there  committed  daily.  I  suggested 
to  him  the  propriety  of  the  legislature's  placing  a  guard  to  patrol 
the  lines  of  Caldwell  County,  say  about  twenty-five  men,  and  give 
them,  say  about  a  dollar  or  one  and  a  half  per  day,  each  man,  and 
find  their  provisions,  etc.,  until  say  the  first  day  of  June  next; 
these  men  rendering  that  protection  necessary  to  the  Mormons  and 
allowing  them  to  follow  and  bring  to  justice  any  individuals  who 
have  heretofore  or  will  hereafter  be  guilty  of  plundering  or  any 
violation  of  the  laws.  I  would  suggest  that  George  M.  Pryer  be 
appointed  captain  of  said  guard  and  that  he  will  be  allowed  to 
raise  his  own  men,  if  he  is  willing  thus  to  act.  He  is  a  man  of  correct 
habits,  and  will  do  justice  to  all  sides  and  render  due  satisfaction. 

"Should  this  course  not  be  approved  of,  I  would  recommend 
the  restoration  of  the  arms  for  their  own  protection.  One  or  the 
other  of  these  suggestions  is  certainly  due  the  Mormons  from  the 
State,  She  has  now  their  leaders  prisoners,  to  the  number  of  fifty 
or  sixty,  and  I  apprehend  no  danger  from  the  remainder  in  any  way 
until  they  will  leave  the  State. 

M.  Arthur." 

{Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  pp.  565-566.) 


52  MISSOURI    HISTORICAL   REVIEW. 

On  December  10,  1838,  a  committee  appointed  by  the 
Mormons  petitioned  the  Legislature  as  follows: 

"To  the  Honorable  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  in  Senate 
and  House  of  Representatives  convened: 

"We  the  undersigned,  petitioners  and  inhabitants  of  Cald- 
well county,  Missouri,  in  consequence  of  the. late  calamity  that  has 
come  upon  us,  taken  in  connection  with  former  afflictions,  feel  it 
a  duty  we  owe  to  ourselves  and  our  country  to  lay  our  case  before 
your  honorable  body  for  consideration.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  that 
a  society  of  our  people  commenced  settling  in  Jackson  County, 
Missouri,  in  the  summer  of  1831,  where  they,  according  to  their 
ability,  purchased  lands  and  settled  upon  them,  with  the  intention 
and  expectation  of  becoming  permanent  citizens  in  common  with 
others. 

"Soon  after  the  settlement  began,  persecution  began,  and  as 
the  society  increased,  persecution  also  increased,  until  the  society 
at  last  was  compelled  to  leave  the  county,  and  although  an  account 
of  these  persecutions  has  been  published  to  the  world,  yet  we  feel 
that  it  will  not  be  iciproper  to  notice  a  few  of  the  most  prominent 
items  in  this  memorial. 

"On  the  20th  of  July,  1833,  a  mob  convened  at  Independence, 
a  committee  of  which  called  upon  a  few  of  the  men  of  our  church 
there  and  stated  to  them  that  the  store,  printing  office,  and  indeed 
all  other  mechanic  shops  must  be  closed  forthwith,  and  the  society 
leave  the  county  immediately.  These  propositions  were  so  un- 
expected that  a  certain  time  was  asked  for  to  consider  on  the  sub- 
ject before  an  answer  should  be  returned,  which  was  refused,  and 
our  men  being  individually  interrogated  each  one  answered  that 
he  could  not  consent  to  comply  with  their  proposition.  One  of  the 
mob  replied  that  he  was  sorry,  for  the  work  of  destruction  would 
commence  immediately. 

"In  a  short  time  the  printing  office,  which  was  a  two  story 
building,  was  assailed  by  the  mob  and  soon  thrown  down,  and  with 
it  much  valuable  property  destroyed.  Next  they  went  to  the  store 
for  the  same  purpose,  but  Mr.  Gilbert,  one  of  the  owners,  agreeing 
to  close  it,  they  abandoned  their  design.  Their  next  move  was  their 
dragging  of  Bishop  Partridge  from  his  house  and  family  to  the  public 
square,  where,  surrounded  by  hundreds,  they  partially  stripped  him 
of  his  clothes  and  tarred  and  feathered  him  from  head  to  foot. 
A  man  by  the  name  of  Allen  was  also  tarred  at  the  same  time. 
This  was  Saturday  and  the  mob  agreed  to  meet  the  following 
Tuesday  to  accomplish  their  purpose  of  driving  or  massacring  the 
society. 

"Tuesday  came,  and  the  mob  came  also,  bearing  with  them  a 
red  flag  in  token  of  blood.    Some  two  or  three  of  the  principal  men 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  53 

of  the  society  offered  their  lives  if  that  would  appease  the  wrath 
of  the  mob,  so  that  the  rest  of  the  society  might  dwell  in  peace  upon 
their  lands.  The  answer  was,  that  unless  the  society  would  leave 
enmasse,  every  man  should  die  for  himself.  Being  in  a  defenseless 
situation,  to  save  a  general  massacre,  it  was  agreed  that  one-half 
of  the  society  should  leave  the  county  by  the  first  of  the  next 
January,  and  the  remainder  by  the  first  of  the  following  April. 

"A  treaty  was  entered  into  and  ratified,  and  all  things  went  on 
smoothly  for  awhile.  But  sometime  in  October  the  wrath  of  the 
mob  began  again  to  be  kindled,  insomuch  that  they  shot  at  some  of 
our  people,  whipped  others,  and  threw  down  their  houses,  and 
committed  many  other  depredations.  Indeed  the  society  of  saints 
were  harrassed  for  some  time,  both  day  and  night;  their  houses  were 
briekbatted  and  broken  open — women  and  children  insulted,  etc. 
The  store  house  of  A.  S.  Gilbert  and  Co.  was  broken  open,  ran- 
sacked, and  some  of  the  goods  strewed  in  the  streets. 

"These  abuses,  with  many  others  of  a  very  aggravated  nature, 
so  stirred  up  the  indignant  feelings  of  our  people  that  when  a  party 
of  them,  say  about  thirty,  met  a  company  of  the  mob  of  about 
double  their  number,  a  skirmish  took  place  in  which  some  two  or 
three  of  the  mob  and  one  of  our  people  were  killed.  This  raised  as 
it  were  the  whole  country  in  arms — and  nothing  would  satisfy  them 
but  an  immediate  surrender  of  the  arms  of  our  people  and  they 
forthwith  to  leave  the  county. 

"Fifty-one  guns  were  given  up,  which  have  never  been  returned 
or  paid  for  to  this  day.  The  next  day  parties  of  the  mob  from 
fifty  to  seventy,  headed  by  priests,  went  from  house  to  house 
threatening  women  and  children  with  death  if  they  were  not  off 
before  they  returned.  This  so  alarmed  them  that  they  fled  in 
different  directions;  some  took  shelter  in  the  woods,  while  others 
wandered  in  the  prairies  till  their  feet  bled.  In  the  meantime,  the 
weather  being  very  cold,  their  sufferings  in  other  respects  were  very 
great. 

"The  society  made  their  escape  to  Clay  County,  where  the 
people  received  them  kindly  and  administered  to  their  wants. 
After  the  society  had  left  Jackson  county,  their  buildings,  amount- 
ing to  about  two  hundred,  were  either  burned  or  otherwise  de- 
stroyed; and  much  of  their  crops,  as  well  as  furniture,  stock,  etc., 
which,  if  properly  estimated,  would  make  a  large  sum,  for  which 
they  have  not  as  yet  received  any  remuneration. 

"The  Society  remained  in  Clay  County  nearly  three  years; 
when  at  the  suggestion  of  the  people  there,  they  removed  to  that 
section  of  the  country  now  known  as  Caldwell  County.  Here  the 
people  purchased  out  most  of  the  former  inhabitants,  and  also 
entered  much  of  the  wild  land.     Many  soon  owned  a  number  of 


54  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL    REVIEW. 

eighties,  while  there  was  scarcely  a  man  that  did  not  secure  to 
himself  at  least  a  forty.  Here  we  were  permitted  to  enjoy  peace  for  a 
season;  but  as  our  society  increased  in  numbers  and  settlements 
were  made  in  Daviess  and  Carroll  Counties,  the  mob  spirit  spread 
itself  again. 

"For  months  previous  to  our  giving  up  our  arms  to  General 
Lucas'  army,  we  heard  little  else  than  rumors  of  mobs  collecting  in 
different  places  and  threatening  our  people. 

"It  is  well  known  that  the  people  of  our  church,  who  had 
located  themselves  at  DeWitt,  had  to  give  up  to  a  mob  and  leave 
the  place,  notwithstanding  the  militia  were  called  out  for  their 
protection. 

"From  DeWitt  the  mob  went  towards  Daviess  County,  and 
while  on  their  way  there  they  took  two  of  our  men  prisoners,  and 
made  them  ride  upon  the  cannon,  and  told  them  that  they  would 
drive  the  Mormons  from  Daviess  to  Caldwell,  and  from  Caldwell 
to  hell;  and  that  they  would  give  them  no  quarter,  only  at  the 
Cannon's  mouth. 

"The  threats  of  the  mob  induced  some  of  our  people  to  go  to 
Daviess  to  help  to  protect  their  brethren  who  had  settled  at  Diah- 
man  on  Grand  River.  The  mob  soon  fled  from  Daviess  County; 
and  after  they  were  dispersed  and  the  cannon  taken,  during  which 
times  no  blood  was  shed,  the  people  of  Caldwell  retired  to  their 
homes  in  hopes  of  enjoying  peace  and  quiet;  but  in  this  they  were 
disappointed,  for  a  large  mob  was  soon  found  to  be  collecting  on 
the  Grindstone  (fork  of  Grand  River),  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  off, 
under  the  command  of  Cornelius  Gillium,  a  scouting  party  of  which 
came  within  four  miles  of  Far  West  and  drove  off  stock  belonging 
to  our  people,  in  open  daylight. 

"About  this  time  word  came  to  Far  West  that  a  party  of  the 
mob  had  come  to  Caldwell  County,  to  the  South  of  Far  West 
that  they  were  taking  horses  and  cattle,  burning  houses,  and 
ordering  the  inhabitants  to  leave  their  homes  immediately;  and  that 
they  had  then  actually  in  their   possession   three   men   prisoners. 

"This  report  reached  Far  West  in  the  evening  and  was  con- 
firmed about  midnight.  A  company  of  about  sixty  men  went  forth 
under  the  command  of  David  W.  Patten,  to  disperse  the  mob,  as 
they  supposed.  A  battle  was  the  result  in  which  Captain  Patten 
and  two  of  his  men  were  killed  and  others  wounded.  Bogart,  it 
appears,  had  but  one  killed  and  others  wounded.  Notwithstanding 
the  unlawful  acts  committed  by  Captain  Bogart's  men  previous  to 
the  battle,  it  is  now  asserted  and  claimed  that  he  was  regularly 
ordered  out  as  a  Militia  Captain  to  preserve  the  peace  along  the 
line  of  Ray  and  Caldwell  Counties. 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  55 

"That  battle  was  fought  four  or  five  days  previous  to  the 
arrival  of  General  Lucas  and  his  army  about  the  time  of  the  battle 
with  Captain  Bogart  a  number  of  our  people  who  were  living  near 
Haun's  Mill,  on  Shoal  Creek,  about  twenty  miles  below  Far  West, 
together  with  a  number  of  emigrants  who  had  been  stopped  there  in 
consequence  of  the  excitment,  made  an  agreement  with  the  mob 
which  was  about  there,  that  neither  party  should  molest  the  other, 
but  dwell  in  peace.  Shortly  after  this  agreement  was  made  a 
mob  party  of  from  two  to  three  hundred,  many  of  whom  are  sup- 
posed to  be  from  Chariton  County,  some  from  Daviess,  and  also 
those  who  had  agreed  to  dwell  in  peace,  came  upon  our  people  there, 
whose  number  in  men  was  about  forty,  at  a  time  they  little  expected 
any  such  thing,  and  without  any  ceremony,  notwithstanding  they 
begged  for  quarter,  shot  them  down  as  they  would  tigers  or  pan- 
thers. Some  few  made  their  escape  by  fleeing.  Eighteen  were 
killed,  and  a  number  more  were  severely  wounded. 

"This  tragedy  was  conducted  in  the  most  brutal  and  savage 
manner.  An  old  man,  after  the  massacre  was  partially  over 
threw  himself  into  their  hands  and  begged  for  quarter,  when  he 
was  instantly  shot  down;  that  not  killing  him,  they  took  an  old 
corn-cutter  and  literally  mangled  him  to  pieces.  A  lad  of  ten 
years  of  age,  after  being  shot  down,  also  begged  to  be  spared,  when 
one  of  them  placed  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  to  his  head  and  blew  out 
his  brains.  The  slaughter  of  these  not  satisfying  the  mob,  they 
proceeded  to  rob  and  plunder.  The  scene  that  presented  itself  after 
the  massacre  to  the  widows  and  orphans  of  the  killed,  is  beyond 
description.  It  was  truly  a  time  of  weeping,  of  mourning,  and  of 
lamentation.  As  yet  we  have  not  heard  of  any  being  arrested  for 
these  murders,  notwithstanding  there  are  men  boasting  about  the 
country  that  they  did  kill  on  that  occasion  more  than  one  "Mor- 
mon," whereas  all  our  people  who  were  in  the  battle  with  Captain 
Patton  against  Bogart,  that  can  be  found,  have  been  arrested,  and 
are  now  confined  in  jail  to  await  their  trial  for  murder. 

"When  General  Lucas  arrived  near  Far  West  and  presented 
the  Governor's  order,  we  were  greatly  surprised;  yet  we  felt  willing 
to  submit  to  the  authorities  of  the  State.  We  gave  up  our  arms 
without  reluctance.  We  were  then  made  prisoners  and  confined 
to  the  limits  of  the  town  for  about  a  week,  during  which  time  the 
men  from  the  country  were  not  permitted  to  go  to  their  families, 
many  of  whom  were  in  a  suffering  condition  for  the  want  of  food 
and  firewood,  the  weather  being  very  cold  and  stormy. 

"Much  property  was  destroyed  by  the  troops  in  town  during 
their  stay  there,  such  as  burning  house  logs,  rails,  corn  cribs,  boards, 
etc.,  the  using  of  corn  and  hay,  the  plundering  of  houses,  the  killing 
of  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs,  and  also  the  taking  of  horses,  not  their 


56  MISSOURI    HISTORICAL    REVIEW. 

own;  and  all  this  without  regard  to  owners,  or  asking  leave  of  any- 
one. In  the  meantime,  men  were  abused,  women  Insulted,  and 
abused  by  the  troops;  and  all  this  while  we  were  kept  prisoners. 

"Whilst  the  town  was  guarded  we  were  called  together  by  the 
order  of  General  Lucas  and  a  guard  placed  close  around  us,  and  in 
that  situation  were  compelled  to  sign  a  deed  of  trust  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  our  individual  property  all  holden  as  they  said,  to 
pay  all  the  debts  of  every  individual  belonging  to  the  church,  and 
also  to  pay  for  all  damages  the  inhabitants  of  Daviess  County  may 
have  sustained  in  consequence  of  the  late  difficulties  in  that  county. 

"General  Clark  had  now  arrived  and  the  first  important  move 
made  by  him  was  the  collecting  of  our  men  together  on  the  square, 
and  selected  out  about  fifty  of  them,  whom  he  immediately  marched 
into  a  house  and  confined  close.  This  was  done  without  the  aid  of 
the  sheriff  or  any  legal  process.  The  next  day  forty-six  of  those 
taken  were  driven  like  a  parcel  of  menial  slaves,  off  to  Richmond,  not 
knowing  why  they  were  taken  or  what  they  were  taken  for.  After 
being  confined  in  Richmond  more  than  two  weeks,  about  one-half 
were  liberated;  the  rest,  after  another  week's  confinement,  were 
most  of  them  required  to  appear  at  court,  and  have  since  been  let 
to  bail.  Since  General  Clark  withdrew  his  troops  from  Far  West, 
parties  of  armed  men  have  gone  through  the  country  driving  off 
horses,  sheep  and  cattle,  and  also  plundering  houses;  the  barbarity 
of  General  Lucas'  troops  ought  not  to  be  passed  over  in  silence. 
They  shot  our  cattle  and  hogs  merely  for  the  sake  of  destroying 
them,  leaving  them  for  the  ravens  to  eat.  They  took  prisoner  an 
aged  man  by  the  name  of  Tanner,  and  without  any  reason  for  it, 
he  was  struck  over  the  head  with  a  gun,  which  laid  his  skull  bare. 
Another  man  by  the  name  of  Carey  was  also  taken  prisoner  by  them, 
and  without  any  provocation  had  his  brains  dashed  out  by  a  gun. 
He  was  laid  in  a  wagon  and  there  permitted  to  remain,  for  the 
space  of  twenty-four  hours,  during  which  time  no  one  was  permitted 
to  administer  to  him,  comfort  or  consolation;  and  after  he  was 
removed  from  that  situation  he  lived  but  a  few  hours. 

"The  destruction  of  property  at  and  about  Far  West  is  very 
great,  many  are  stripped  bare,  as  it  were,  and  others  partially  so; 
indeed,  take  us  as  a  body,  at  this  time  we  are  a  poor  and  afflicted 
people;  and  if  we  are  compelled  to  leave  the  State  in  the  Spring, 
many,  yes,  a  large  portion  of  our  Society  will  have  to  be  removed 
at  the  expense  of  the  State,  as  those  who  might  have  helped  them 
are  now  debarred  that  privilege  in  consequence  of  the  deed  of 
trust  we  were  compelled  to  sign;  which  deed  so  operated  upon  our 
real  estate  that  it  will  sell  for  little  or  nothing  at  this  time. 

"We  have  now  made  a  brief  statement  of  some  of  the  most 
prominent  features  of  the  troubles  that  have  befallen  our  people 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  57 

since  our  first  settlement  in  the  State;  and  we  believe  that  these 
persecutions  have  come  in  consequence  of  our  religious  faith,  and 
not  for  any  immorality  on  our  part. 

"That  instances  have  been  of  late,  where  individuals  have 
trespassed  upon  the  rights  of  others,  and  thereby  broken  the  laws 
of  the  land,  we  will  not  pretend  to  deny;  but  yet  we  do  believe  that 
no  crime  can  be  substantiated  against  any  of  the  people  who  have 
a  standing  in  our  church  of  an  earlier  date  than  the  difficulties  in 
Daviess  County.  And  when  it  is  considered  that  the  rights  of  this 
people  have  been  trampled  upon  from  time  to  time  with  impunity, 
and  abuses  heaped  upon  them  almost  innumerable,  it  ought  in  some 
degree  to  palliate  for  any  infraction  of  the  law  which  may  have 
been  made  on  the  part  of  our  people. 

"The  late  order  of  Governor  Boggs  to  drive  us  from  this  State 
or  exterminate  us  is  a  thing  so  novel,  unlawful,  tyrannical  and 
oppressive  that  we  have  been  induced  to  draw  up  this  memorial 
and  present  this  statement  of  our  case  to  your  honorable  body, 
praying  that  a  law  may  be  passed  rescinding  the  order  of  the  Gover- 
nor to  drive  us  from  the  State  and  also  giving  the  sanction  of  the 
legislature  to  inherit  our  lands  in  peace.  We  ask  an  expression  of 
the  legislature  disapproving  of  the  conduct  of  those  who  compelled 
us  to  sign  a  deed  of  trust  and  also  disapproving  of  any  man  or  set 
of  men  taking  our  property  in  consequence  of  that  deed  of  trust 
and  appropriating  it  to  the  payment  of  damage  sustained  in  conse- 
quence of  trespasses  committed  by  others. 

"We  have  no  common  stock;  our  property  is  individual  prop- 
erty, and  we  feel  willing  to  pay  our  debts  as  other  individuals  do; 
but  we  are  not  willing  to  be  bound  for  other  people's  debts  also. 
The  arms  which  were  taken  from  us  here,  which  we  understand  to 
be  about  six  hundred  and  thirty,  besides  swords  and  pistols,  we 
care  not  so  much  about  as  we  do  the  pay  for  them,  only  we  are 
bound  to  do  military  duty,  which  we  are  willing  to  do;  and  which  we 
think  was  sufficiently  manifested  by  the  raising  of  a  voluntary 
company  last  fall  at  Far  West,  when  called  upon  by  General  Parks 
to  raise  troops  for  the  frontier. 

"The  arms  given  up  by  us  we  consider  were  worth  between 
twelve  and  fifteen  thousand  dollars;  but  we  understand  they  have 
been  greatly  damaged  since  taken,  and  at  this  time  probably  would 
not  bring  near  their  former  value.  And  as  they  were,  both  here 
and  in  Jackson  County,  taken  by  the  militia,  and  consequently  by 
the  authority  of  the  State,  we  therefore  ask  your  honorable  body 
to  cause  an  appropriation  to  be  made  by  law  whereby  we  may  be 
paid  for  them,  or  otherwise  have  them  returned  to  uf  and  the  dam- 
ages made  good. 

"The  losses  sustained  by  our  people  in  leaving  Jackson  County 
are  so  situated  that  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  any  compensation  for 


68  MISSOURI    HISTORICAL    REVIEW. 

them  by  law,  because  those  who  have  sustained  them  are  unable  to 
prove  those  trespasses  upon  individuals.  That  the  facts  do  exist 
that  the  buildings,  crops,  stock,  furniture,  rails,  timber,  etc.,  of 
the  society  have  been  destroyed  in  Jackson  County,  is  not  doubted 
by  those  who  are  acquainted  in  this  upper  country;  and  since  these 
trespasses  cannot  be  proven  upon  individuals,  we  ask  your  honorable 
body  to  consider  this  case;  and  if  in  your  liberality  and  wisdom  you 
can  conceive  it  to  be  proper  to  make  an  appropriation  by  law  to 
these  sufferers,  many  of  whom  are  still  pressed  down  with  poverty 
in  consequence  of  their  losses,  would  be  able  to  pay  their  debts, 
and  also  in  some  degree  be  relieved  from  poverty  and  woe;  whilst 
the  widow's  heart  would  be  made  to  rejoice,  and  the  orphan's 
tear  measurably  dried  up,  and  the  prayers  of  a  grateful  people 
ascend  on  high  with  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  the  Author  of  our 
existance  for  that  beneficient  act. 

"In  laying  our  case  before  your  honorable  body,  we  say  that 
we  are  willing  and  ever  have  been  to  conform  to  the  Constitution 
and  laws  of  the  United  States  and  of  this  State.  We  ask  in  common 
with  others  the  protection  of  the  laws.  We  ask  for  the  privilege 
guaranteed  to  all  free  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  of  this  State 
to  be  extended  to  us,  that  we  may  be  permitted  to  settle  and  live 
where  we  please,  and  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  our 
conscience  without  molestation.  And  while  we  ask  for  ourselves 
the  privilege  we  are  willing  all  others  should  enjoy  the  same. 

"We  now  lay  our  case  at  the  feet  of  your  legislature  and  ask 
your  honorable  body  to  consider  it,  and  do  for  us,  after  mature 
deliberation,  that  which  your  wisdom,  patriotism  and  philanthropy 
may  dictate. 

"And  we,  as  in  duty  bound,  will  ever  pray,  etc., 
Edward  Partridge,         Herbert  C.  Kimball,     John  Taylor, 
Theodore  Turley,  Brigham  Young,  Isaac  Morley, 

George  W.  Harris,         John  Murdock,  John  M.  Burk. 

"A  committee  appointed  by  the  citizens  of  Caldwell  County, 
to  draft  the  memorial  and  sign  it  in  their  behalf. 
Far  West,  Caldwell  County,  Missouri, 

December  10,  183S."~ {Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  pp.  58-589.) 

By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  approved  December  11, 
1838,  the  sum  of  $2,000.00  was  appropriated  for  the  purpose 
of  relieving  the  indigent  and  suffering  families  in  Caldwell 
and  Daviess  counties,  and  the  following  commissioners  were 
appointed  to  expend  the  sum,  and  distribute  food,  raiment  and 
other  necessaries  among  the  deserving: 

Anderson  Martin, 

William  Thornton  and 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  59 

John  C.  Richardson  of  Ray  County: 

Elisha  Cameron, 

John  Thornton  and 

Eli  Casey  of  Clay  County ; 

Henry  McHenry  of  Caldwell  County  and 

M.  T.  Green  of  Daviess  County. 

It  is  asserted  by  the  Mormons  that  none  of  the  appro- 
priation was  expended  for  the  benefit  of  Mormons,  although 
the  act  itself  did  not  especially  exclude  them. 

The  same  legislature  prohibited  the  publication  of  the 
orders,  letters,  evidences  and  other  documents  relating  to 
the  Mormon  disturbances,  and  enjoined  the  Secretary  of  State 
from  furnishing  or  permitting  to  be  taken  copies  of  the  same  for 
any  purpose  whatsoever.  Two  years  later,  however,  the 
prohibition  was  rescinded.  (See  Ads  llth  General  Assembly^ 
page  334.) 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  61 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  THE 
MORMON   WAR. 

ROLLIN    J.    BRIXTON.- 
FOURTH    ARTICLE. 
THE  MORMON  LEADERS  AS  PRISONERS. 

Returning  to  the  Mormon  leaders,  who  were  prisoners, 
we  quote  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  when  we  say  that  on  November  2, 
1838,  he,  along  with  Sidney  Rigdon,  Hyrum  Smith,  Parley 
P.  Pratt,  Lyman  Wight,  Amasa  Lyman  and  George  W. 
Robinson,  were  started  for  Independence,  Jackson  county, 
Missouri,  and  encamped  at  night  on  Crooked  River,  under  a 
strong  guard  commanded  by  Generals  Lucas  and  Wilson. 
{Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  pp.  510,  523,  525.) 
Continuing  he  says  : 

"Saturday,  November  3,  1838,  we  continued  our  march  and 
arrived  at  the  Missouri  River,  which  separated  us  from  Jackson 
County,  where  we  were  hurried  across  the  ferry  when  but  few 
troops  had  passed.  The  truth  was  General  Clark  had  sent  an 
express  from  Richmond  to  General  Lucas  to  have  the  prisoners 
sent  to  him  and  thus  prevent  our  going  to  Jackson  County,  both 
armies  being  competitors  for  the  honor  of  possessing  'the  royal 
prisoners.'  Clark  wanted  the  privilege  of  putting  us  to  death 
himself,  and  Lucas  and  his  troops  were  desirous  of  exhibiting  us  in 
the  streets  of  Independence. 

"Sunday,  4th.  We  were  visited  by  some  ladies  and  gentle- 
men. One  of  the  women  came  up  and  very  candidly  inquired  of 
the  troops  which  of  the  prisoners  was  the  Lord  whom  the  Mormons 
worshiped.  One  of  the  guards  pointed  to  me  with  a  significant 
smile  and  said,  'This  is  he,'  The  woman  then  turning  to  me 
inquired  whether  I  professed  to  be  the  Lord  and  Savior.  I  replied 
that  I  professed  to  be  nothing  but  a  man  and  a  minister  of  salva- 
tion, sent  by  Jesus  Christ  to  preach  the  Gospel.  This  answer  so 
surprised  the  woman  that  she  began  to  inquire  into  our  doctrine, 
and  I  preached  a  discourse  both  to  her  and  her  companions  and 
to  the  wondering  soldiers,  who  listened  with  almost  breathless 
attention  while  I  set  forth  the  doctrine  of  faith  in  Jesus  Christ, 


62  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

and  repentence,  and  baptism  for  remission  of  sins,  with  the  promise 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  recorded  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles. 

"The  woman  was  satisfied  and  praised  God  in  the  hearing 
of  the  soldiers,  and  went  away  praying  that  God  would  protect 
and  deliver  us.  Thus  was  fulfilled  a  prophecy  which  had  been 
spoken  publicly  by  me  a  few  months  previous — that  a  sermon 
should  be  preached  in  Jackson  County  by  one  of  our  elders  before 
the  close  of  1838. 

•*The  troops  having  crossed  the  river  about  ten  o'clock  we 
proceeded  on  and  arrived  at  Independence,  past  noon,  in  the  midst 
of  great  rain  and  a  multitude  of  spectators,  who  had  assembled  to 
see  us  and  hear  the  bugles  sound  a  blast  of  triumphant  joy,  which 
echoed  through  the  camp  as  we  were  ushered  into  a  vacant  house 
prepared  for  our  reception,  with  a  floor  for  our  beds  and  blocks  of 
wood  for  our  pillows." 

PERSONAL  LETTER  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH,  JR.,  TO  HIS  WIFE. 

The  following  letter  written  at  this  date  by  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  the  original  of  which  is  now  in  possession  of 
Apostle  Heman  C.  Smith  of  Lamoni,  la.,  conflicts  slightly 
with  this  account  as  regards  their  treatment: 

"Independence,  Jackson  Co.,  Missouri, 
November  4,  1838. 
"My  dear  and  beloved  companion  of  my  bosom,  in  tribulation 
and  affliction:  I  would  inform  you  that  I  am  well  and  that  we 
are  all  of  us  in  good  spirits  as  regards  our  own  fate.  We  have  been 
protected  by  the  Jackson  County  boys  in  the  most  genteel  manner, 
and  arrived  here  in  the  midst  of  a  splended  parade,  a  little  after 
noon.  Instead  of  going  to  gaol  we  have  a  good  house  provided 
for  us  and  the  kindest  treatment.  I  have  great  anxiety  about  you 
and  my  lovely  children.  My  heart  mourns  and  bleeds  for  the 
brethren  and  sisters,  and  for  the  slain  of  the  people  of  God.  Colonel 
Hinkle  proved  to  be  a  traitor  to  the  Church.  He  is  worse  than  a 
Hull  who  betrayed  the  army  at  Detroit.  He  decoyed  us  unawares. 
God  reward  him.  John  Corrill  told  General  Wilson  that  he  was 
going  to  leave  the  Church.  General  Wilson  says  he  thinks  much 
less  of  him  now  than  before.  Why  I  mention  this  is  to  have  you 
careful  not  to  trust  them.  If  we  are  permitted  to  stay  any  time  here 
we  have  obtained  a  promise  that  we  may  have  our  families  brought 
to  us.  What  God  may  do  for  us  I  do  not  know,  but  I  hope  for  the 
best  always  in  all  circumstances.     Although  I  go  into  death  I  will 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  63 

trust  in  God.     What  outrages  may  be  committed  by  the  mob  I 
know  not,  but  expect  there  will  be  but  little  or  no  restraint. 

"Oh!  May  God  have  mercy  on  us. 

"When  we  arrived  at  the  river  last  night  an  express  came  to 
General  Wilson  from  General  Clark,  of  Howard  County,  claiming 
the  right  of  command,  ordering  us  back,  where  or  what  place, 
God  only  knows;  and  there  are  some  feelings  between  the  officers. 
I  do  not  know  where  it  will  end.  It  is  said  by  some  that  General 
Clark  is  determined  to  exterminate.  God  has  spared  some  of  us 
thus  far,  perhaps  he  will  extend  mercy  in  some  degree  toward  us 
yet.  Some  of  the  people  of  this  place  have  told  me  that  some  of 
the  Mormons  may  settle  in  this  county  as  other  men  do.  I  have 
some  hopes  that  something  may  turn  out  for  good  to  the  afflicted 
saints.  I  want  you  to  stay  where  you  are  until  you  hear  from  me 
again.  I  may  send  for  you  to  bring  you  to  me.  I  cannot  learn 
much  for  certainty  in  the  situation  that  I  am  in,  and  can  only  pray 
for  deliverance  until  it  is  meted  out,  and  take  everything  as  it 
comes  with  patience  and  fortitude.  I  hope  you  will  be  faithful  and 
true  to  every  trust.  I  can't  write  much  in  my  situation.  Conduct 
all  matters  as  your  circumstances  and  necessities  require.  May 
God  give  you  wisdom  and  prudence  and  sobriety,  which  I  have  every 
reason  to  believe  you  will.  Those  little  children  are  subjects  of 
my  mediation  continually.  Tell  them  that  Father  is  yet  alive. 
God  grant  that  he  may  see  them  again.  Oh!  Emma,  for  God's 
sake  do  not  forsake  me  nor  the  truth,  but  remember  me.  If  1  do 
not  meet  you  again  in  this  life,  may  God  grant  that  we  may — 
may  we  meet  in  heaven.  I  cannot  express  my  feelings;  my  heart 
is  full.  Farewell,  O  my  kind  and  affectionate  Emma.  I  am  yours 
forever.  Your  husband  and  true  friend. 

Joseph  Smith,  Jr." 


CONTINUATION  OF  DIARY  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH,  JR. 

"General  Clark  arrived  at  Far  West  with  one  thousand  six 
hundred  men,  and  five  hundred  more  were  within  eight  miles  of 
the  city.  Thus  Far  West  has  been  visited  by  six  thousand  men  in 
one  week.  When  the  Militia  of  the  city  (before  any  were  taken 
prisoners)  amounted  only  to  about  five  hundred,  whose  arms 
having  been  secured,  the  mob  continued  to  hunt  the  brethren  like 
wild  beasts,  and  shot  several,  ravished  the  women,  and  killed  one 
near  the  city;  no  saint  was  permitted  to  go  in  or  out  of  the  city, 
and  they  lived  on  parched  corn. 

"General  Clark  ordered  General  Lucas,  who  had  previously 
gone  to  Adam-ondi-Ahman  with  his  troops,  to  take  the  whole  of 


64  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

the  men  of  the  Mormons  prisoners  and  place  such  a  guard  around 
them  and  the  town  as  will  protect  the  prisoners  and  secure  them 
until  they  can  be  dealt  with  properly,  and  secure  all  their  property, 
till  the  best  means  could  be  adopted  for  paying  the  damages  the 
citizens  had  sustained. 

"Monday,  5th.  We  were  kept  under  a  small  guard  and  were 
treated  with  some  degree  of  hospitality  and  politeness,  while  many 
flocked  to  see  us.  We  spent  most  of  our  time  in  preaching  and 
conversation,  explanatory  of  our  doctrines  and  practice,  which 
removed  mountains  of  prejudice  and  enlisted  the  populace  in  our 
favor,  notwithstanding  their  old  hatred  and  wickedness  towards 
our  society. 

"The  brethren  at  Far  West  were  ordered  by  General  Clark 
to  form  a  line,  when  the  names  of  fifty-six  present  were  called  and 
made  prisoners  to  await  their  trial  for  something  they  knew  not. 
They  were  kept  under  a  close  guard. 

"Shortly  after  our  arrival  in  Jackson  County,  Colonel  Sterling 
Price,  (afterward  General  Price  of  Confederate  fame)  from  the 
army  of  General  Clark,  came  with  orders  from  General  Clark, 
who  was  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  expedition,  to  have  us  for- 
warded forthwith  to  Richmond.  Accordingly  on  Thursday 
morning  we  started  with  three  guards  only,  and  they  had  been 
obtained  with  great  difficulty,  after  laboring  all  the  previous  day 
to  get  them.  Between  Independence  and  Roy's  Ferry,  on  the 
Missouri  River,  they  all  got  drunk,  and  we  got  possession  of  their 
arms  and  horses.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  near  the  setting 
of  the  sun.  We  traveled  about  half  a  mile  after  we  crossed  the 
river  and  put  up  for  the  night. 

"Friday,  9th.  This  morning  there  came  a  number  of  men, 
some  of  them  armed.  Their  threatenings  and  savage  appearance 
were  such  as  to  make  us  afraid  to  proceed  without  more  guards. 
A  messenger  was  therefore  dispatched  to  Richmond  to  obtain  them. 
We  started  before  their  arrival,  but  had  not  gone  far  before  we 
met  Colonel  Price  with  a  guard  of  about  seventy-four  men,  and 
were  conducted  by  them  to  Richmond  and  put  into  an  old  vacant 
house,  and  a  guard  set. 

"Some  time  through  the  course  of  that  day  General  Clark 
came  and  we  were  introduced  to  him.  We  inquired  of  him  the 
reason  why  we  had  been  thus  carried  from  our  homes,  and  what 
were  the  charges  against  us.  He  said  that  he  was  not  then  able  to 
determine,  but  would  be  in  a  short  time;  and  with  very  little  more 
conversation,  withdrew. 

"Sometime  after  he  had  withdrawn  Colonel  Price  came  in  with 
two  chains  in  his  hands  and  a  number  of  padlocks.     The  two 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  65 

chains  he  fastened  together.  He  had  with  him  ten  men,  armed, 
who  stood  at  the  time  of  these  operations  with  a  thumb  upon  the 
cock  of  their  guns. 

"They  first  nailed  down  the  windows,  then  came  and  ordered 
a  man  by  the  name  of  John  Fulkinson,  whom  he  had  with  him, 
to  chain  us  together  with  chains  and  padlocks,  being  seven  in 
number. 

"After  that  he  searched  us,  examining  our  pockets  to  see  if 
we  had  any  arms.  Finding  nothing  but  pocket  knives,  he  took 
them  and  conveyed  them  off. 

"Saturday,  10th.  General  Clark  had  spent  his  time  since  our 
arrival  in  Richmond  in  searching  the  laws  to  find  authority  for 
trying  us  by  court  martial.  Had  he  not  been  a  lawyer  of  eminence 
I  should  have  supposed  it  no  very  difficult  task  to  decide  that  quiet, 
peaceful,  unoffending,  and  private  citizens  too,  except  as  ministers 
of  the  gospel,  were  not  amenable  to  military  tribunal,  in  a  country 
governed  by  civil  laws.  But  be  this  as  it  may.  General  Clark  wrote 
the  Governor  in  part  as  follows: 

"  'Detained  General  White  and  his  field  officers  here  a  day  or 
two,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  court  martial,  if  necessary.  I 
this  day  made  out  charge  against  the  prisoners  and  called  on  Judge 
King  to  try  them  as  a  committing  court;  and  I  am  now  busily 
engaged  in  procuring  witnesses  and  submitting  facts.  There  are 
no  civil  officers  in  Caldwell.  I  have  to  use  the  military  to  get 
witnesses  from  there,  which  I  do  without  reserve.  The  most  of 
the  prisoners  here  I  consider  guilty  of  treason;  and  I  believe  will  be 
convicted;  and  the  only  difficulty  in  law  is,  can  they  be  tried  in  any 
county  but  Caldwell.  If  not,  they  cannot  be  there  indicted,  until 
a  change  of  population.  In  the  event  this  latter  view  is  taken  by 
the  civil  courts,  I  suggest  the  propriety  of  trying  Jo  Smith  and  those 
leaders  taken  by  General  Lucas,  by  a  court  martial  for  mutiny. 
This  I  am  in  favor  of  only  as  a  dernier  resort.  I  would  have  taken 
this  course  with  Smith  at  any  rate;  but  it  being  doubtful  whether 
a  court  martial  has  jurisdiction  or  not  in  the  present  case — that  is, 
whether  these  people  are  to  be  treated  as  in  time  of  war,  and  the 
mutineers  as  having  mutinied  in  time  of  war — and  I  would  here 
ask  you  to  forward  to  me  the  Attorney-General's  opinion  on  this 
point.  It  will  not  do  to  allow  these  leaders  to  return  to  their 
treasonable  work  again,  on  account  of  their  not  being  indicted  in 
Caldwell.  They  have  committed  treason,  murder,  arson,  burglary, 
robbery,  larceny  and  perjury.' 

"Sunday,  11th.  While  in  Richmond  we  were  under  the  charge 
of  Colonel  Price  from  Chariton  County,  who  suffered  all  manner 
of  abuse  to  be  heaped  upon  us.  During  this  time  my  afflictions 
were  great  and  our  situation  was  truly  painful. 


66 


MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 


"General  Clark  informed  us  that  he  would  turn  us  over  to  the 
civil  authorities  for  trial,  and  so 


Joseph  Smith,  Jr., 
Hyrum  Smith, 
Sidney  Rigdon, 
Parley  P.  Pratt, 
Lyman  Wight, 
Amasa  Lyman, 
George  W.  Robinson, 
Caleb  Baldwin, 
Alanson  Ripley, 
Washington  Voorhees, 
Sidney  Turner, 
John  Buchanan, 
Jacob  Gates, 
Chandler  Holbrook, 
George  W.  Harris, 
Jesse  D.  Hunter, 
Andrew  Whitlock, 
Martin  C.  Allred, 
William  Allred, 
George  D.  Grant, 
Darwin  Chase, 
Elijah  Newman, 
Alvin  G.  Tippets, 
Zedekiah  Owens, 
Isaac  Morley, 
Thomas  Beck, 


John  T.  Tanner, 
Daniel  Shearer 
Alexander  McRae, 
Elisha  Edwards, 
John  S,  Higbee, 
Ebenezer  Page 
Benjamin  Covey, 
Ebenezer  Robinson, 
Luman  Gibbs, 
Joseph  W.  Younger, 
Henry  Zabraki, 
Allen  J.  Stout, 
Sheffield  Daniels, 
Silas  Maynard 
Anthony  Head, 
Benjamin  Jones, 
Daniel  Cam, 
John  T.  Earl, 
Norman  Shearer, 
James  M.  Henderson, 
David  Pettegrew, 
Edward  Partridge, 
Francis  Higbee, 
David  Frampton, 
George  Kimball  and 
Daniel  S.  Thomas. 


Moses,  Clawson, 

were  brought  before  Austin  A.  King,  at  Richmond,  for  trial, 
charged  with  the  several  crimes  of  high  treason  against  the  State, 
murder,  burglary,  arson,  robbery  and  larceny. 

"Monday,  12th.  The  first  act  of  this  court  was  to  send 
out  a  body  of  armed  men  without  a  civil  process,  to  obtain  wit- 
nesses." 


PERSONAL   LETTER   OF   JOSEPH   SMITH,    JR.,    TO   HIS    WIFE. 

At  this  time  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  wrote  his  wife  as  follows: 

"Richmond,  Missouri,  November  12,  1838. 
My  dear  Emma: 

We  are  prisoners  in  chains  and  under  strong  guard  for  Christ's 
sake,  and  for  no  other  cause,  although  there  have  been  things  that 
were  unbeknown  to  us  and  altogether  beyond  our  control  that  might 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  67 

seem  to  the  mob  to  be  a  pretext  for  them  to  prosecute  us;  but  on 
examination  I  think  that  the  authorities  will  discover  our  innocence 
and  set  us  free;  but  if  this  blessing  cannot  be  obtained,  I  have  this 
consolation,  that  I  am  an  innocent  man,  let  what  will  befall  me. 
I  received  your  letter,  which  I  read  over  and  over  again;  it  was  a 
sweet  morsel  to  me.  O  God,  grant  that  I  may  have  the  privilege 
of  seeing  once  more  my  lovely  family  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
sweets  of  liberty  and  social  life;  to  press  them  to  my  bosom  and  kiss 
their  lovely  cheeks  would  fill  my  heart  with  unspeakable  gratitude. 
Tell  the  children  that  I  am  alive,  and  trust  I  shall  come  and  see 
them  before  long.  Comfort  their  hearts  all  you  can,  and  try  to 
be  comforted  yourself  all  you  can.  There  is  no  possible  danger 
but  what  we  shall  be  set  at  liberty  if  justice  can  be  done,  and  that 
you  know  as  well  as  myself.  The  trial  will  begin  today  for  some  of 
us.  Lawyer  Reese,  and  we  expect  Doniphan,  will  plead  our  cause. 
We  could  get  no  others  in  time  for  the  trial.  They  are  able  men 
and  will  do  well  no  doubt. 

Brother  Robinson  is  chained  next  to  me,  he  has  a  true  heart 
and  a  firm  hand.  Brother  Wight  is  next.  Brother  Rigdon  next, 
Hyrum  next,  Parley  next,  Amasa  next,  and  thus  we  are  bound 
together  in  chains,  as  well  as  cords  of  everlasting  love.  We  are 
in  good  spirits  and  rejoice  that  we  are  counted  worthy  to  be  perse- 
cuted for  Christ's  sake.  Tell  little  Joseph  he  must  be  a  good  boy. 
Father  loves  him  with  a  perfect  love;  he  is  the  eldest — must  not 
hurt  those  that  are  smaller  than  he,  but  care  for  them.  Tell 
little  Frederick  father  loves  him  with  all  his  heart;  he  is  a  lovely 
boy.  Julia  is  a  lovely  little  girl;  I  love  her  also.  She  is  a  promising 
child;  tell  her  father  wants  her  to  remember  him  and  be  a  good  girl. 
Tell  all  the  rest  that  I  think  of  them  and  pray  for  them  all.  Bro. 
Babbit  is  waiting  to  carry  our  letters  for  us.  Colonel  Price  is 
inspecting  them,  therefore  my  time  is  short.  Little  Alexander  is  on 
my  mind  continually.  Oh,  my  affectionate  Emma,  I  want  you  to 
remember  that  I  am  a  true  and  faithful  friend  to  you  and  the  chil- 
dren forever.  My  heart  is  entwined  around  yours  forever  and  ever. 
Oh,  my  God,  bless  you  all.  Amen.  I  am  your  husband,  and  am 
in  bonds  and  tribulation,  etc., 

Joseph  Smith,  Jr. 
To  Emma  Smith: 

P.  S. — Write  as  often  as  you  can,  and  if  possible  come  and  see 
me,  and  bring  the  children  if  possible.  Act  according  to  your  own 
feelings  and  best  judgment,  and  endeavor  to  be  comforted  if  possible, 
and  I  trust  that  all  will  turn  out  for  the  best.     Yours,  J.  S." 


68  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 


CONTINUATION  OF  DIARY  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH,  JR. 

"Tuesday,  13.  We  were  placed  at  bar,  Austin  A.  King  presid- 
ing and  Thomas  C.  Bureh,  State's  Attorney.  Witnesses  were 
called  and  sworn  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 

"Dr.  Sampson  Avard  was  the  first  brought  before  the  court. 
He  had  previously  told  Mr.  Oliver  Olney  that  if  he  (Olney)  wished 
to  save  himself,  he  must  swear  hard  against  the  heads  of  the  Church 
as  they  were  the  ones  this  court  wanted  to  criminate;  and  if  he 
could  swear  hard  against  them,  they  would  not  (that  is,  neither 
court  nor  mob)  disturb  him.  'I  intend  to  do  it'  said  he,  'in  order 
to  escape,  for  if  I  do  not,  they  will  take  my  life.' 

"This  introduction  is  sufficient  to  show  the  character  of  his 
testimony,  and  he  swore  just  according  to  the  statement  he  had 
made,  doubtless  thinking  it  a  wise  course  to  ingratiate  himself 
into  the  good  graces  of  the  mob." 


TESTIMONY  OF  SAMPSON  AVARD,  INCLUDING  THE  CONSTITUTION 
OF  THE   DANITE   SOCIETY   AND   SIDNEY   RIGDON's 
PAPER  AGAINST  THE  DISSENTERS. 

The  record  shows  that  the  testimony  taken  was  in  the 
form  of  depositions.  The  following  is  the  testimony  of 
Sampson  Avard,  a  witness  produced,  sworn  and  examined  on 
behalf  of  the  State,  who  depose th,  and  saith: 

"That  about  four  months  ago,  a  band  called  the  Daughters 
of  Zion,  since  called  Danite  band,  was  formed  of  the  members  of 
the  Mormon  Church,  the  original  object  of  which  was  to  drive  from 
the  county  of  Caldwell  all  those  who  dissented  from  the  Mormon 
Church,  in  which  they  succeeded  admirably,  and  to  the  satisfaction 
of  those  concerned. 

"I  consider  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  as  the  prime  mover  and  organ- 
izer of  this  Danite  band. 

"The  officers  of  the  band,  according  to  their  grades,  were 
brought  before  him  at  a  school  house,  together  with  Hiram  Smith 
and  Sidney  Rigdon;  the  three  composing  the  first  presidency  of 
the  whole  church.  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  blessed  them,  and  prophe- 
sied over  them,  declaring  that  they  should  be  the  means,  in  the 
hands  of  God,  of  bringing  forth  the  Millennial  Kingdom.  It  was 
stated  by  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  that  it  was  necessary  this  band  should 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  69 

be  bound  together  by  a  Covenant,  that  those  who  revealed  the 
secrets  of  the  society  should  be  put  to  death. 

"The  covenant  taken  by  all  the  Danite  band  was  as  follows, 
to  wit:  They  declared,  holding  up  their  right  hands,  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  son  of  God,  'I  do  solemnly  obligate  myself  ever 
to  conceal  and  never  to  reveal  the  secret  purposes  of  this  society, 
called  the  Daughters  of  Zion;  should  I  ever  do  the  same,  I  hold  my 
life  as  the  forfeiture.'  The  Prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  together 
with  his  two  counsellors,  Hiram  Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon,  were 
considered  as  the  supreme  head  of  the  Church,  and  the  Danite 
band  felt  themselves  as  much  bound  to  obey  them,  as  to  obey  the 
Supreme  God. 

"Instruction  was  given  to  the  Danite  band  by  Joseph  Smith, 
Jun.,  that  if  any  of  them  should  get  into  difficulty,  the  rest  should 
help  him  out,  and  that  they  should  stand  by  each  other,  right  or 
wrong;  and  that  this  instruction  was  given  at  a  public  address 
delivered  at  a  Danite  meeting.  As  for  Joseph  Smith,  Junior,  and 
his  two  counsellors,  the  witness  does  not  know  that  they  ever 
took  the  Danite  oath.  He  knows  all  the  rest  of  the  defendants  to 
be  Danites,  except  Sidney  Tanner,  Andrew  Whitlock,  Zedekiah 
Owens,  Thomas  Rich,  John  J.  Tanner,  Daniel  S.  Thomas,  David 
Pettigrew,  George  Kemble,  Anthony  Head,  Benjamin  Jones  and 
Norman  Shearer.  At  the  election  last  August  a  report  came  to 
Far  West  that  some  of  the  brethren  in  Daviess  were  killed.  I  called 
for  twenty  volunteers  to  accompany  me  to  Daviess  to  see  into  the 
matter.  I  went,  and  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  Mormons 
accompanied  me  to  Adam-on-di-ahman,  Mr.  Joseph  Smith,  Jun., 
in  company.  When  we  arrived  there  I  found  the  report  exaggerated ; 
none  were  killed.  We  visited  Mr.  Adam  Black;  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  or  two  hundred  of  us  armed.  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  was 
commander,  and  if  Black  had  not  signed  the  paper  he  did,  it  was 
the  common  understanding  and  belief  that  he  would  have  shared 
the  fate  of  the  dissenters.  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Lyman  Wight 
were  at  Adam  when  we  went  to  Black's,  and  advised  the  movement 
of  the  prisoners.  I  do  not  recollect  that  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Caleb 
Baldwin,  Washington  Vories,  Sidney  Tanner,  John  Buchanan,  Jacob 
Gates,  Chandler  Holbrook,  Goo.  W.  Harris,  Jesse  D.  Hunter, 
Andrew  Whitlock,  Martin  C.  Aired,  Wm.  Aired,  George  Grant, 
Elizah  Newman,  Oliver  L.  Tiffets,  Zedekiah  Owens,  Isaac  Morley, 
Thos,  Rich,  Moses  ClaAvson,  John  J.  Tanner,  Daniel  Shearer, 
Daniel  S.  Thomas,  Elisha  Edwards,  John  S.  Higby,  Ebenezer 
Page,  Benjamin  Covey,  Luman  Gibbs,  James  M.  Henderson,  David 
Pettigrew,  Edward  Partridge,  David  Frampton,  George  Kemble, 
Jos.  W.  Younger,  Henry  Zabrisky,  Allen  J.  Stout,  Sheffield  Daniels, 


70  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

Silas  Manard,  Anthony  Head,  Benjamin  Jones,  Daniel  Cam, 
John  T.  Eare  and  Norman  Shearer,  were  with  us  on  the  Expedition 
to  Daviess  County. 

"As  regards  the  affair  at  DeWitt,  I  know  little  personally; 
but  I  heard  Mr.  Sidney  Rigdon  say  they  had  gone  down  to  DeWitt, 
where  it  was  said  a  mob  had  collected  to  wage  war  upon  the  Mor- 
mons residing  in  Carroll  County,  and  that  Joseph  Smith,  Junior, 
with  his  friends,  went  down  to  DeWitt,  to  give  aid  and  help  to  his 
brethren.  The  Company  was  armed,  as  I  presume.  Hiram  Smith 
was  one  in  the  Company,  and  Geo.  W.  Robertson  also.  Amaza 
Lyman  went  to  see  what  was  going  on.  I  heard  the  above  named 
persons  say  they  were  in  Henkle's  Camp  at  DeWitt  several  days, 
except  Amaza  Lyman.  I  know  not  that  he  was  at  DeWitt.  When 
the  Mormons  returned  from  DeWitt,  it  was  rumored  that  a  mob 
was  collecting  in  Daviess.  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  the  Sunday  before 
the  late  affair  in  Daviess,  at  a  church  meeting,  gave  notice  that  he 
wished  the  whole  county  collected  on  the  next  Monday  at  Far 
West,  where  he  said  (or  the  Sunday  before,  I  don't  recollect  which,) 
that  all  who  did  not  take  up  arms  in  defense  of  the  Mormons  of 
Daviess  should  be  considered  as  tories,  and  should  take  their 
exit  from  the  county.  At  the  meeting  on  Monday,  where  persons 
met  from  all  parts  of  Caldwell  County,  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  took 
the  pulpit,  and  delivered  an  address,  in  which  he  said,  that  we 
had  been  an  injured  people,  driven  violently  from  Jackson  County; 
that  we  had  appealed  to  the  governor,  magistrates,  judges,  and  even 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  that  there  had  been  no 
redress  for  us;  and  that  now  a  mob  was  about  to  destl-oy  the  rights 
of  our  brethren  in  Daviess  County;  and  that  it  was  high  time  that 
we  should  take  measures  to  defend  our  rights.  In  this  address  he 
related  an  anecdote  about  a  captain  who  applied  to  a  Dutchman  to 
purchase  potatoes,  who  refused  to  sell.  The  Captain  charged  his 
company  several  different  times,  not  to  touch  the  Dutchman's 
potatoes.  In  the  morning  the  Dutchman  had  not  a  potato  left 
in  his  patch.  This  was  in  reference  to  our  touching  no  property 
on  our  expedition  to  Daviess  that  did  not  belong  to  us;  but  he  told 
us  that  the  children  of  God  did  not  go  to  war  at  their  own  expense. 

"A  vote  was  taken  whether  the  brethren  should  then  embody 
and  go  out  to  Daviess  to  attack  the  mob.  This  question  was  put 
by  the  Prophet,  Joe  Smith,  and  passed  unanimously,  with  a  few 
exceptions. 

"Captains  Patton  and  Branson  were  appointed  Commanders 
of  the  Mormons,  by  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  to  go  to  Daviess.  He 
frequently  called  these  men  Generals.  I  once  had  a  Command  as 
an  officer,  but  he,  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  removed  me  from  it,  and  I 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  71 

asked  him  the  reason,  and  he  assigned  that  he  had  another  office 
for  me.  Afterwards  Mr.  Rigdon  told  me  I  was  to  fill  the  office  of 
surgeon,  to  attend  to  the  sick  and  wounded.  After  we  arrived  at 
Diahmond,  in  Daviess,  a  council  was  held  at  night,  composed  of 
Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  Geo.  W.  Robertson,  Hiram  Smith,  Captains 
Patton  and  Branson,  Lyman  Wight,  Present  R.  Cahoon,  P.  P. 
Pratt  and  myself,  and  perhaps  Mr.  Kemble.  President  Rigdon 
was  not  present;  a  correspondence  was  kept  up  between  him  and 
Joseph  Smith,  Jun.  I  heard  Rigdon  read  one  of  the  letters  from 
Smith,  which,  as  I  remember,  was  about  as  follows:  That  he  knew, 
from  prophecy  and  from  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  the 
enemies  of  the  kingdom  were  in  their  hands,  and  that  they  should 
succeed.  Rigdon  on  reading  the  letter  said  it  gave  him  great 
consolation  to  have  such  authority  that  the  kingdom  of  God  was 
rolling  on. 

"In  the  above-referred- to  council,  Mr.  Smith  spoke  of  the 
grievances  we  had  suffered  in  Jackson,  Clay,  Kirtland  and  other 
places;  declared  that,  in  future,  we  must  stand  up  for  our  rights  as 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  as  Saints  of  the  Most  High  God; 
and  that  it  was  the  will  of  God  we  should  do  so,  and  that  we  should 
do  so;  and  that  we  should  be  free  and  independent;  and  that,  as 
the  State  of  Missouri  and  the  United  States  would  not  protect  us, 
it  was  time  that  we  should  rise,  as  the  Saints  of  the  Most  High 
God,  and  protect  ourselves,  and  take  the  kingdom;  and  Lyman 
Wight  observed  that  before  the  winter  was  over,  he  thought  we  would 
be  in  St.  Louis  and  take  it. 

"Smith  charged  them  that  they  should  be  united  in  supporting 
each  other.  Smith  said,  on  some  occasion,  that  one  should  chase 
a  thousand,  and  two  put  ten  thousand  to  flight;  that  he  considered 
the  United  States  rotten.  He  compared  the  Mormon  Church  to 
the  little  stone  spoken  of  by  the  prophet  Daniel,  and  that  the  dis- 
senters, first,  was  part  of  the  image,  and  the  State  next,  that  should 
be  destroyed  by  this  little  stone.  The  council  was  called  on  to 
vote  the  above  measures,  and  were  unanimous  in  favor  of  them. 

"On  the  next  day,  Captain  Patton,  who  was  called  by  the 
Prophet,  Captain  Fearnought,  took  command  of  a  body  of  armed 
men,  about  one  hundred,  and  told  them  he  had  a  job  for  them  to  do, 
and  that  the  work  of  the  Lord  was  rolling  on,  and  that  they  must 
be  united.  He  then  led  his  troops  to  Gallatin,  saying,  he  was 
going  to  attack  the  mob  there.  He  made  a  rush  into  Gallatin, 
dispersed  the  few  men  there,  and  took  the  goods  out  of  StoUings 
store,  and  took  them  to  Diahmond;  and  I  afterwards  saw  the  store- 
house on  fire,  when  we  returned  to  Diahmond,  the  goods  were 
deposited  in  the  Lord's  store  house,  under  the  care  of  Bishop 


72  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

Vincent  Knight.  Orders  were  given  that  all  the  goods  should  be  put 
in  the  Lord's  store  house.  Joseph  Smith,  Junior,  was  at  Diahmond, 
giving  directions  about  things  in  general  connected  with  the  war. 
When  Patton  returned  from  Gallatin,  to  Adam-ondi-Ahmend, 
the  goods  were  divided,  or  apportioned  out  amongst  those  engaged; 
and  these  affairs  were  conducted  under  the  superintendency  of  the 
First  Presidency.  A  part  of  the  goods  was  brought  to  Far  West, 
under  the  care  of  Captain  Fearnaught.  On  their  arrival,  Presi- 
dent Rigdon  and  others  shouted  the  hosannas  to  the  victory. 
On  the  day  Patton  went  to  Gallatin,  Col.  Wight  went  vO  Mill 
Port,  as  I  understood.  I  saw  a  great  many  cattle,  beds,  furniture, 
etc.,  brought  into  our  camps.  After  we  returned  to  Far  West,  the 
troops  were  constantly  kept  in  motion,  and  there  was  a  council 
held  at  President  Rigdon's  house  to  determine  who  should  be  chiefs. 
It  was  determined  that  Col.  Wight  should  be  commander-in-chief 
at  Diahmond;  Branson,  Captain  of  the  flying  horse  of  Daviess; 
Col.  Henckle  should  be  commander-in-chief  of  the  Far  West 
troops;  Captain  Patton,  of  the  Cavalry  of  the  flying  horse;  and  that 
the  Prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  should  be  commander-in-chief 
of  the  whole  kingdom.  The  council  was  composed  of  Joseph 
Smith,  Jun.,  Captain  Fearnaught,  alias  Patton,  Henckle,  and  Col. 
Wight  and  President  Rigdon. 

"The  object  of  that  council  was,  in  furtherance  of  the  scheme 
proposed  in  Council  in  Daviess  county,  referred  to  above. 

"After  the  Council,  Fearnaught  disputed  as  to  the  Chief 
Command  of  the  Far  West  troops,  and  had  a  small  altercation 
about  it  with  Henckle;  but  Smith  proposed  that  they  agree  to 
disagree,  and  go  on  for  the  good  of  the  kingdom.  The  troops  were 
kept  together  until  the  militia  came  out  lately.  There  were  about 
from  five  to  eight  hundred  men,  as  I  suppose,  under  arms.  It  was 
about  the  time  the  militia  came  out  lately  to  Far  West  under  Gen. 
Lucas,  that  our  Prophet  assembled  the  troops  together  at  Far  West, 
into  a  hollow  square  and  addressed  them;  and  stated  to  them  that 
the  kingdom  of  God  should  be  set  up,  and  should  never  fall,  and  for 
every  one  that  we  lacked  in  number  in  amount  of  those  who  came 
against  us,  the  Lord  would  send  angels  who  would  fight  for  us, 
and  we  should  be  victorious.  After  the  militia  had  been  near  Far 
West  a  while,  in  an  address  Smith  said  that  those  troops  were 
militia,  and  that  we  were  militia  too,  and  both  sides  clever  fellows; 
and  that  he  advised  them  to  know  nothing  of  what  had  passed; 
to  say  nothing,  and  to  keep  dark;  that  he.  Smith,  had  forgotten 
more  than  he  then  knew.  After  it  was  ascertained  that  the  militia 
had  arrived,  intelligence  was  immediately  sent  to  Diahmond,  to 
Col.  Wight.     Next  morning,  Col.  Wight  arrived  in  Far  West  with 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  73 

about  one  hundred  mounted  and  armed  men.  The  troops  were 
constantly  kept  prepared,  and  in  a  situation  to  repel  attack. 
The  evening  the  militia  arrived  near  Far  West,  it  was  the  general 
understanding  in  the  Mormon  camp  that  they  were  militia  legally 
called  out;  and,  indeed,  previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  militia,  it 
was  ascertained  that  there  were  militia  on  their  way  to  Far  West. 
Some  months  ago,  I  received  orders  to  destroy  the  papers  concern- 
ing the  Danite  Society,  which  order  was  issued  by  the  First  Presi- 
dency, and  which  paper,  being  the  constitution  for  the  Government 
of  the  Danite  Society,  was  in  my  custody,  but  which  I  did  not 
destroy;  it  is  now  in  Gen.  Clark's  possession.  I  gave  the  paper  up 
to  Gen.  Clark  after  I  was  taken  prisoner.  I  found  it  in  my  house, 
where  I  had  previously  deposited  it,  and  I  believe  it  had  never 
been  in  any  person's  possession  after  I  first  received  it.  This 
paper  was  taken  into  President  Rigdon's  house,  and  read  to  the 
first  presidency,  Hiram  Smith  being  absent,  and  was  unanimously 
adopted  by  them  as  their  rule  and  guide  in  future.  After  it  was 
thus  adopted,  I  was  instructed  by  the  council  to  destroy  it,  as  if  it 
should  be  discovered,  it  would  be  considered  treasonable.  This 
constitution  after  it  was  approved  of  by  the  First  Presidency,  was 
read  article  by  article,  to  the  Danite  band,  and  unanimously  adopted 
by  them.  This  paper  was  drawn  up  about  the  time  that  the  Danite 
band  was  formed.  Since  the  drawing  of  the  paper  against  the 
dissenters,  it  was,  that  this  constitution  of  the  Danite  band  was 
drafted;  but  I  have  no  minutes  of  the  time,  as  we  were  directed 
not  to  keep  written  minutes;  which  constitution  above  referred  to, 
is  as  follows: 

"Whereas,  in  all  bodies,  laws  are  necessary  for  the  permancy, 
safety  and  well  being  of  the  society.  We,  the  members  of  the  So- 
ciety of  the  Daughters  of  Zion,  do  agree  to  regulate  themselves 
under  such  laws  as,  in  righteousness,  shall  be  deemed  necessary  for 
the  preservation  of  our  holy  religion  and  of  our  most  sacred  rights 
and  the  rights  of  our  wives  and  children. 

"But  to  be  explicit  on  the  subject,  it  is  especially,  our  object 
to  support  and  defend  the  rights  conferred  on  us  by  our  venerable 
sires,  who  purchased  them  with  the  pledges  of  their  lives,  their 
fortunes  and  sacred  honors;  and  now,  to  prove  ourselves  worthy 
of  liberty  conferred  on  us  by  them  in  the  providence  of  God,  we 
do  agree  to  be  governed  by  such  laws  as  shall  perpetuate  these 
high  privileges,  of  which  we  know  ourselves  to  be  the  rightful 
possessors,  and  of  which  privileges,  wicked  and  designing  men  have 
tried  to  deprive  us  by  all  manner  of  evil,  and  that  purely  in  conse- 
quence of  the  tenacity  we  have  manifested  in  the  discharge  of  our 
duty  towards  our  God,  who  had  given  us  those  rights  and  privi- 


74  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

leges,  and  a  right  in  common  with  others,  to  dwell  on  this  land. 
But  we,  not  having  the  privileges  of  others  allowed  unto  us,  have 
determined,  like  unto  our  fathers,  to  resist  tyranny — whether  it 
be  in  kings  or  in  people,  it  is  all  alike  unto  us,  our  rights  we  must 
have,  and  our  rights  we  shall  have,  in  the  name  of  Israel's  God. 

'Article  1.  All  power  belongs,  originally  and  legitimately, 
to  the  people,  and  they  have  a  right  to  dispose  of  it  as  they  shall 
deem  fit.  But,  as  it  is  inconvenient  and  impossible  to  convene  the 
people  in  all  cases,  the  legislative  powers  have  been  given  by  them, 
from  time  to  time,  into  the  hands  of  a  representation,  composed  of 
delegates  from  the  people  themselves.  This  is,  and  has  been  the 
law,  both  in  civil  and  religious  bodies,  and  is  the  true  principaL 

'Article  2.  The  Executive  power  shall  be  vested  in  the 
President  of  the  whole  church,  and  his  counsellors. 

'Article  3.  The  legislative  powers  shall  reside  in  the  Presi- 
dent and  his  counsellors,  together,  and  with  the  generals  and 
colonels  of  the  society.  By  them,  all  laws  shall  be  made,  regulating 
the  society. 

'Article  4.  All  officers  shall  be,  during  life  and  good  behavior, 
or  to  be  regulated  by  the  law  of  God. 

"Article  5.  The  society  reserves  the  power  of  electing  all  its 
officers,  with  the  exception  of  the  aids  and  clerks,  which  the  officers 
may  need,  in  their  various  stations.  The  nominations  to  go  from 
the  Presidency  to  his  second,  and  from  the  second,  to  the  third  in 
rank,  and  so  down  through  all  the  various  grades;  each  branch, 
or  department,  retains  the  power  of  electing  its  own  particular 
officers. 

'Article  6.  Punishments  shall  be  administered  to  the  guilty, 
in  accordance  to  the  offense,  and  no  member  shall  be  punished 
without  law,  or  by  any  others  than  those  appointed  by  law  for  that 
purpose.  The  legislature  shall  have  power  to  make  such  laws, 
regulating  punishments,  as  in  their  judgments  shall  be  wisdom 
and  righteousness. 

'Article  7.  There  shall  be  a  secretary,  whose  business  it  shall 
be  to  keep  all  the  legislative  records  of  the  society,  and  also  to  keep 
a  register  of  the  name  of  every  member  of  the  society;  also,  the 
rank  of  the  officers.  He  shall  also  communicate  the  laws  to  the 
generals,  as  directed  by  laws  made  for  the  regulation  of  such  busi- 
ness by  the  legislature. 

"Article  8.  All  officers  shall  be  subject  to  the  commands  of 
the  Captain-General,  given  through  the  Secretary  of  War;  and 
so,  all  officers  shall  be  subject  to  their  superiors  in  rank,  according 
to  laws  made  for  that  purpose 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  75 

"In  connection  with  the  grand  scheme  of  the  Prophet,  his 
preachers  and  apostles  were  instructed  to  preach,  and  to  instruct 
their  followers  (who  are  estimated  in  Europe  and  America,  at  about 
40,000)  that  it  was  their  duty  to  come  up  to  the  stake,  called  Far 
West,  and  to  possess  the  kingdom;  that  it  was  the  will  of  God  that 
they  should  do  so,  and  that  the  Lord  would  give  them  power  to 
possess  the  kingdom.  There  was  another  writing,  drawn  up  in 
June  last,  which  had  for  its  object  to  get  rid  of  the  dissenters,  and 
which  had  the  desired  effect.  Since  that  time,  and  since  the  intro- 
duction of  this  scheme  of  the  Prophet,  made  known  in  the  above 
constitution.  I  have  heard  the  Prophet  say  that  it  was  a  fortunate 
thing  that  we  got  rid  of  the  dissenters,  as  they  would  have  en- 
dangered the  rolling  on  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  introduced,  and 
to  be  carried  into  effect,  by  the  Danite  band;  that  they  (the  dis- 
senters) were  great  obstacles  in  the  way;  and  that,  unless  they 
were  removed,  the  aforesaid  kingdom  of  God  could  not  roll  on. 
This  paper  against  the  dissenters  was  drafted  by  Sidney  Rigdon, 
and  is  as  follows: 

'Far  West,  June  — ,  1838. 
To  Oliver  Cowdery,  David  Whitmer,  John  Whitmer,  William  W. 

Phelps  and  Lyman  E.  Johnson,  greeting: 

'Whereas,  the  citizens  of  Caldwell  county  have  borne  with  the 
abuse  received  from  you,  at  different  times  and  on  different  occa- 
sions, until  it  is  no  longer  to  be  endured,  neither  will  they  endure 
it  any  longer,  having  exhausted  all  the  patience  they  have,  and 
conceive  that  to  bear  any  longer  is  a  vice  instead  of  a  virtue;  we 
have  borne  long  and  suffered  incredibly,  but  we  will  neither  bear 
nor  suffer  any  longer  and  the  decree  has  gone  forth,  from  our  hearts, 
and  shall  not  return  to  us  void;  neither  think,  gentlemen,  that  in 
so  saying  we  are  trifling  with  either  you  or  ourselves,  for  we  are 
not.  There  are  no  threats  from  you — no  fear  of  losing  our  lives 
by  you,  or  by  anything  you  can  say  or  do,  will  restrain  us;  for  out 
of  the  country  you  shall  go,  and  no  power  shall  save  you;  and  you 
shall  have  three  days,  after  you  receive  this,  our  communication 
to  you,  including  twenty-four  hours  in  each  day,  for  you  to  depart, 
with  your  families,  peaceably;  which  you  may  do,  undisturbed  by 
any  person;  but,  in  that  time,  if  you  do  not  depart,  we  will  use  the 
means  in  our  power  to  cause  you  to  depart;  for  go  you  shall;  we 
will  have  no  more  promises  to  reform,  as  you  have  already  done, 
and  in  every  instance  violated  your  promise,  and  regarded  not  the 
covenant  which  you  had  made,  but  put  both  it  and  us  at  defiance. 
We  have  solemnly  warned  you,  and  that  in  the  most  determined 
manner,  that  if  you  did  not  cease  that  course  of  wanton  abuse  of 
the  citizens  of  this  county,  that  vengence  would  overtake  you. 


76  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

sooner  or  later,  and  that  when  it  did  come,  it  would  be  as  furious 
as  the  mountain  torrent,  and  as  terrible  as  the  beating  tempest — 
but  you  have  affected  to  despise  our  warnings,  and  passed  them  off 
with  a  sneer,  or  a  grin,  or  a  threat,  and  pursued  your  former  course 
and  vengence  sleeps  not,  neither  does  it  slumber,  and  unless  you 
heed  us  this  time,  and  attend  to  our  request,  it  will  overtake  you  at 
an  hour  when  you  do  not  expect,  and  at  a  day  when  you  do  not 
look  for  it;  and  for  you  there  shall  be  no  escape  for  there  is  but  one 
decree  for  you,  which  is,  depart,  depart,  or  else  a  more  fatal  calam- 
ity shall  befall  you. 

'After  Oliver  Cowdery  had  been  taken  by  a  States  warrant  for 
stealing,  and  the  stolen  property  found  concealed  in  the  house  of 
William  W.  Phelps,  in  which  nefarious  transaction  John  Whitmer 
had  also  participation,  Oliver  Cowdery  stole  the  property,  conveyed 
it  to  John  Whitmer,  and  John  Whitmer  to  William  W.  Phelps,  and 
there  the  officers  of  the  law  found  it.  While  in  the  hands  of  the 
officer,  and  under  an  arrest  for  this  vile  transaction,  and,  if  possible, 
to  hide  your  shame  from  the  world,  like  criminals,  which  indeed  you 
were,  you  appealed  to  our  beloved  President,  Joseph  Smith,  Jun., 
and  Sidney  Rigdon;  men  whose  characters  you  had  endeavon  1  to 
destroy  by  every  artifice  you  could  invent,  not  even  the  basest 
lying  excepted;  and  did  you  find  them  revengeful?  No,  but  not- 
withstanding all  your  scandalous  attacks,  still  such  was  the  noble- 
ness of  their  character,  that  even  vile  enemies  could  not  i<Dpeal  to 
them  in  vain.  They  enlisted,  as  you  well  know,  their  inhuence  to 
save  you  from  your  just  fate,  and  they,  by  their  influence  divered 
you  out  of  the  hand  of  the  officer.  While  you  were  pleuaiag  with 
them  you  promised  reformation — you  bound  yourselves  by  the  most 
solemn  promises,  that  you  would  never  be  employed  again,  in 
abu^ng  any  of  the  citizens  of  Caldwell;  and  by  such  condescensions 
did  you  attempt  to  escape  the  workhouse.  But  now,  for  the  sequal. 
Did  you  practice  the  promised  reformation?  You  know  you  did 
not!  but,  by  secret  efforts  continued  to  practice  your  iniquity, 
and  secretly  to  injure  their  characters,  notwithstanding  their 
kindness  to  you.  Are  such  things  to  be  borne?  You,  yourselves, 
would  answer  that  they  are  insufferable,  if  you  were  to  answer 
according  to  the  feelings  ol  your  own  hearts.  As  we  design  this 
paper  to  be  published  to  the  world,  we  will  give  an  epitome  of  your 
scandalous  conduct  and  treachery  for  the  last  two  years.  We  wish 
to  remind  you  that  Oliver  Cowdery  and  David  Whitmer  were 
among  the  principal  of  those  who  were  the  means  of  gathering  us  to 
this  place,  by  their  testimony  which  they  gave  concerning  the 
plates  of  the  Book  of  Mormon — that  they  were  shown  to  them  by 
an  angel,  which  testimony  we  believe  now,  as  much  as  before  you 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  77 

had  so  scandalously  disgraced  it,  you  commenced  your  wickedness 
by  heading  a  party  to  disturb  the  worship  of  the  saints  in  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  and  made  the  House  of  the  Lord,  in  Kirtland,  to 
be  a  scene  of  abuse  and  slander,  to  destroy  the  reputation  of  those 
whom  the  church  had  appointed  to  be  their  teachers,  and  for  no 
other  cause,  only  that  you  were  not  the  persons.  The  Saints  in 
Kirtland,  having  elected  Oliver  Cowdery  to  be  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  he  used  the  power  of  his  office  to  take  their  most  sacred 
rights  from  them,  and  that  contrary  to  law.  He  supported  a 
parcel  of  black-legs,  in  disturbing  the  worship  of  the  Saints,  and 
when  the  men  whom  the  Church  had  chosen  to  preside  over  their 
meetings,  endeavored  to  put  the  house  to  order,  he  helped — and 
by  the  authority  of  his  Justices  office  too — those  wretches  to  con- 
tinue their  confusion,  and  threatened  the  church  with  a  prosecution 
for  trying  to  put  them  out  of  the  house,  and  issued  writs  against  the 
Saints  for  endeavoring  to  sustain  their  rights,  and  bound  them, 
under  heavy  bonds,  to  appear  before  his  honor,  and  required  bonds 
which  were  both  inhuman  and  unlawful;  and  one  of  those  was  the 
venerable  father  who  had  been  appointed  by  the  church  to  preside 
— a  man  of  upwards  of  seventy  years  of  age,  and  notorious  for  his 
peaceable  habits.  Oliver  Cowdery,  David  Whitmer  and  Lyman  E. 
Johnson,  united  with  a  gang  of  counterfeiters,  thieves,  liars  and 
black-legs  of  the  deepest  dye,  to  deceive,  cheat  and  defraud  the 
Saints  of  their  property,  by  every  act  and  stratagem  which  wicked- 
ness could  invent;  using  the  influence  of  the  vilest  persecutors,  to 
bring  vexatious  law  suits,  villianous  prosecutions,  and  even  stealing 
not  excepted.  In  the  midst  of  this  career,  for  fear  that  the  Saints 
would  seek  redress  at  their  hands,  they  breathed  out  threatenings 
of  mobs,  and  actually  made  attempts  with  their  gang  to  bring  mobs 
upon  them.  Oliver  Cowdery  and  his  gang,  such  of  them  as  be- 
longed to  the  church,  were  called  to  an  account  by  the  church  for 
their  iniquity.  They  confessed  repentance,  and  were  again  re- 
stored to  the  church.  But  the  very  first  opportunity,  they  were 
again  practicing  their  former  course.  While  this  wickedness  was 
going  on  in  Kirtland,  Cowdery  and  his  company  were  writing  letters 
to  Far  West,  in  order  to  destroy  the  character  of  every  person  that 
they  thought  were  standing  in  their  way;  and  John  Whitmer  and 
William  W.  Phelps  were  assisting  to  prepare  the  way  to  throw  con- 
fusion among  the  Saints  of  Far  West.  During  the  full  career  of 
Oliver  Cowdery  and  David  Whitmer's  bogus  money  business, 
information  got  abroad  into  the  world  that  they  were  engaged  in 
it,  and  several  gentlemen  were  preparing  to  commence  a  prosecu- 
tion against  Cowdery.  He  finding  it  out,  took  with  him,  Lyman 
E.  Johnson  and  fled  to  Far  West  with  their  families,  Cowdery 


78  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

stealing  a  property,  and  bringing  it  with  him,  which  has,  within  a 
few  weeks  past,  been  obtained  by  the  owner,  by  means  of  a  search 
warrant,  and  he  was  saved  from  the  penitentiary  by  the  influence 
of  two  influential  men  of  the  place.  He  also  brought  notes  with 
him,  upon  which  he  had  received  pay,  and  had  promised  to  destroy 
them,  and  made  an  attempt  to  sell  them  to  Mr.  Arthur  of  Clay 
county.  And  Lyman  E.  Johnson,  on  his  arrival  reported  that  he 
had  a  note  of  one  thousand  dollars  against  a  principal  man  in  this 
church,  when  it  is  a  fact  that  it  was  a  palpable  falsehood,  and  he 
had  no  such  thing,  and  he  did  it  for  the  purpose  of  injuring  his 
character.  Shortly  after  Cowdery  and  Johnson  left  Kirtland  for 
Far  West,  they  were  followed  by  David  Whitmer,  on  whose  arrival 
a  general  system  of  slander  and  abuse  was  commenced  by  you  all, 
for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  characters  of  certain  individuals, 
whose  influence,  and  strict  regard  for  righteousness,  you  dreaded, 
and  not  only  yourselves,  but  your  wives  and  children,  led  by 
yourselves,  were  busily  engaged  in  it.  Neither  were  you  content 
with  slandering  and  vilifying  here,  but  you  kept  up  continual 
correspondence  with  your  gang  of  marauders  in  Kirtland,  encourag- 
ing them  to  go  on  with  their  iniquity,  which  they  did  to  perfection, 
but  swearing  false,  to  injure  the  characters  and  property  of  inno- 
cent men;  stealing,  cheating,  lying,  instituting  vexatious  lawsuits, 
selling  bogus  money,  and  also  stones  and  sand  for  bogus;  in  which 
nefarious  business,  Oliver  Cowdery,  David  Whitmer,  and  Lyman 
E.  Johnson  were  engaged  while  you  were  there.  Since  you  arrived 
here,  you  have  commenced  a  general  system  of  the  same  kind  of 
conduct  in  this  place.  You  set  up  a  nasty,  dirty,  pettifoggers 
office,  pretending  to  be  judges  of  the  law;  when  it  is  a  notorious 
fact  that  you  are  profoundly  ignorant  of  it,  and  of  every  other 
thing  which  is  calculated  to  do  mankind  good;  or  if  you  know  it, 
you  take  good  care  never  to  practice  it;  and  in  order  to  bring  your- 
selves into  notice,  you  began  to  interfere  with  all  the  business  of 
the  place,  trying  to  destroy  the  character  of  our  merchants,  and 
bring  their  creditors  upon  them  and  break  them  up.  In  addition 
to  this,  you  stirred  up  men  of  a  weak  mind  to  prosecute  one  another, 
for  the  vile  purpose  of  getting  a  fee  for  a  pettifogger  from  them. 

'*  'You  have  also  been  threatening,  continually,  to  enter  into  a 
general  system  of  prosecuting;  determined,  as  you  said,  to  pick  a 
flaw  in  the  titles  of  those  who  have  bought  city  lots  and  built  upon 
them,  not  that  you  can  do  anything  but  cause  vexatious  law  suits. 
And  amongst  the  most  monstrous  of  all  your  abominations,  we 
have  evidence,  which  when  called  upon  we  can  produce,  that  letters 
sent  to  the  postoffice,  in  this  place,  have  been  opened,  read  and 
destroyed,  and  the  persons  to  whom  they  were  sent  never  ob- 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  79 

tained  them;  thus  ruining  the  business  of  the  place.  We  have 
evidence  of  a  very  strong  character,  that  you  are  at  this  very  time 
engaged  with  a  gang  of  counterfeiters  and  coiners,  and  black-legs, 
as  some  of  those  characters  have  lately  visited  our  city  from  Kirt- 
land,  and  told  what  they  had  come  for,  and  we  know  assuredly, 
that  if  we  suffer  you  to  continue,  we  may  expect,  and  that  speedily, 
to  find  a  general  system  of  stealing,  counterfeiting,  cheating  and 
burning  of  property,  as  in  Kirtland,  for  so  are  your  associates  carry- 
ing on  there  at  this  time,  and  that  encouraged  by  you,  by  means 
of  the  letters  you  send  continually  to  them;  and  to  crown  the  whole, 
you  have  had  the  audacity  to  threaten  us,  that  if  we  offered  to 
disturb  you,  you  would  get  up  a  mob  from  Clay  and  Ray  counties. 
For  this  insult,  if  nothing  else,  and  your  threatening  to  shoot  us, 
if  we  offered  to  molest  you,  we  will  put  you  from  the  county  of 
Caldwell — so  help  us  God!' 

(The  above  was  signed  by  some  eighty-four  Mormons.) 

"About  the  time  the  dissenters  fled.  President  Rigdon  preached 
a  sermon  from  the  text:  'Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth;  but  if  the 
salt  have  lost  its  savor,  wherewithal  shall  it  be  salted,  etc'  com- 
monly called  'The  Salt  Sermon,*  in  which  the  dissenters  were  called 
the  salt  which  had  lost  its  savor,  and  that  they  should  be  trampled 
upon  and  driven  out  by  the  Saints,  which  was  well  understood  by 
the  Danites  as  a  part  of  their  duty  to  do.  When  General  Lucas's 
men  marched  up  to  Far  West,  Smith  told  me  (as  I  understood  him) 
that  he  had  said  to  one  of  the  militia  captains  not  to  come  any 
farther,  as  he  might  get  into  danger.  Smith,  after  erecting  his 
bulwark,  asked  me  if  I  did  not  think  him  pretty  much  of  a  general? 
I  answered  in  the  affirmative.  We  were  advised,  all  the  time,  to 
fight  valiantly,  and  that  the  angels  of  the  Lord  would  appear  in 
our  defense,  and  fight  our  battles. 

"In  reference  to  Bogart's  battle,  I  know  but  little  personally. 
As  to  the  start  of  troops  to  fight  Bogart,  I  was  called  upon  to  go 
along  with  the  company,  which  was  commanded  by  Patton  as 
surgeon;  this  was  about  midnight,  but  as  I  thought  a  little  sleep 
would  do  me  more  good  than  fighting,  I  remained  at  home.  On 
the  morning  of  the  fight,  about  six  o'clock,  I  was  called  upon  by  a 
Mr.  Emmet,  who  informed  me  that  Captain  Fearnought  was 
wounded  mortally,  I  went  to  Patton,  about  three  miles,  as  I  under- 
stood, from  the  battle  ground,  where  I  found  Joseph  Smith,  Jun., 
present,  laying  hands  on  the  wounded,  and  blessing  them,  to  heal 
them.  A  Mr.  0.  Bannion  was  also  there,  mortally  wounded.  I 
heard  the  following  of  the  prisoners  say  he  was  in  the  fight,  towit, 
Norman  Shearer. 

"I  never  heard  Hiram  Smith  make  any  inflammatory  remarks, 
but  I  have  looked  on  him  as  one  composing  the  first  presidency; 


80 


MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 


acting  in  concert  with  Joseph  Smith,  Jun. ;  approving  by  his  presence, 
acts,  and  conversations,  the  unlawful  schemes  of  the  presidency. 
I  never  saw  Edward  Partridge  and  Isaac  Morley,  two  of  the 
defendants,  take  any  active  part  in  the  above  massacres  testified 
to  by  me;  and  I  have  heard  Joseph  Smith,  Junior,  say  he  considered 
Partridge  a  coward,  and  backward,  and  ought  to  be  forced  out. 
I  was  continually  in  the  society  or  company  of  the  presidency, 
receiving  instructions  from  them  as  to  the  teachings  of  the  Danite 
band;  and  I  continually  informed  them  of  my  teachings;  and  they 
were  well  apprised  of  my  course  and  teachings  in  the  Danite  so- 
ciety. 

"The  following  of  the  defendants  were  in  the  last  expedition 
to  Daviess  county: 


Joseph  Smith,  Jun., 
Hiram  Smith, 
P.  P.  Pratt, 
Lyman  Wight, 
George  W.  Robertson, 
Alison  Ripley, 
Washington  Vories, 
Jacob  Gates, 
George  Grant, 
Darwen  Chase, 
Maurice  Phelps, 


Moses  Clawson, 

Alexander  McKay, 

John  S.  Higby, 

Ebenezer  Page, 

James  M.  Henderson, 

Edward  Partridge, 

Francis  Higbey, 

Joseph  W.  Younger, 

Henry  Sabriskey  (doubtful), 

James  H.  Rawlins, 

James  Newberry  (doubtful). 


And  further  this  deponent  saith  not. 

(Signed)   Samison   Avard." 


CONTINUATION  OF  DIARY  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH,  JR. 

"The  following  witnesses  were  examined  in  behalf  of  the  State, 
many  of  whom,  if  we  may  judge  from  their  testimony,  sworn  upon 
the  same  principle  as  Avard,  namely: 
Wyatt  Cravens, 
Captain  Samuel  Bogart, 
John  Corrill, 
George  Walton, 
James  C.  Owena, 
Abner  Scovell, 
Reed  Peck, 
Wilborn  Splawn, 
John  Raglin, 
Jeremiah  Myers, 
Freeborn  H.  Gardner, 
Elisha  Camron, 


Nehemiah  Sale, 

Morris  Phelps, 

Robert  Snodgrass, 

George  M.  Hinkle, 

Nathaniel  Carr, 

John  Cleminson, 

James  C.  Owens,  re-examined, 

Thomas  M.  Odle, 

Allen  Rathburn, 

Andrew  F.  Job, 

Burr  Riggs, 

Charles  Bleakley, 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  81 

James  Cobb,  Jesse  Kelly, 

Addison  Price,  Samuel  Kimball, 

William  W.  Phelps,  John  Whitmer, 

James  B.  Turner,  George  W.  Worthington, 

Joseph  H.  McGee,  John  Lockhart, 

Porter  Yale,  Benjamin  Slade, 

Eyra  Williams,  Addison  Green, 

John  Taylor,  Timothy  Lewis. 

Patrick  Lynch, 

"We  were  called  upon  for  our  witnesses,  and  we  gave  the 
names  of  some  forty  or  fifty.  Captain  Bogart  was  dispatched  with 
a  company  of  militia  to  procure  them.  Arrested  all  he  could  find, 
thrust  them  into  prison,  and  we  were  not  allowed  to  see  them. 

"We  were  again  called  upon  most  tauntingly  for  witnesses. 
We  gave  the  names  of  some  others,  and  they  were  also  thrust  into 
prison,  so  many  as  were  to  be  found. 

"In  the  meantime,  Malinda  Porter,  Delia  F.  Pine,  Nancy 
Rigdon,  Jonathan  W.  Barlow,  Thoret  Parsons,  Ezra  Chipman 
and  Arza  Judd,  Jr.,  volunteered  and  were  sworn  on  the  defense, 
but  were  prevented  by  threats  from  telling  the  truth  as  much  as 
possible. 

"We  saw  a  man  at  the  window  by  the  name  of  Allen,  and 
beckoned  him  to  come  in  and  had  him  sworn;  but  when  he  did  not 
testify  to  please  the  court,  several  rushed  upon  him  with  their 
bayonets  and  he  fled  the  place,  and  three  men  took  after  him  with 
loaded  guns,  and  he  barely  escaped  with  his  life.  It  was  of  no  use 
to  get  any  more  witnesses  if  we  could  have  done  it.  Thus  the  mock 
investigation  continued  from  day  to  day,  till  Saturday,  when 
several  of  the  brethren  were  discharged  by  Judge  King,  as  follows: 

"Defendants  against  whom  nothing  is  proven,  viz, :  '^'^ 

Amasa  Lyman,  John  Buchanan, 

Andrew  Whitlock,  Alvah  L.  Tippets, 

Jedediah  Owens,  Isaac  Morley, 

John  T.  Tanner,  Daniel  S.  Thomas, 

Elisha  Edwards,  Benjamin  Covey, 

David  Frampton,  Henry  Zabriski, 

Allen  J.  Stout,  Sheffield  Daniels, 

Silas  Maynard,  Anthony  Head, 

John  T.  Earl,  Ebenezer  Brown, 

James  Newberry,  Sylvester  Hulet, 

Chandler  Holbrook,  Martin  Allred. 

William  Allred, 

"The  above  defendants  were  discharged  by  me,  there  being  no 
evidence  against  them. 

Austin  A.  King,  Judge,  etc." 

6 


82  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

November  24,  1838. 

"Our  church  organization  was  converted  by  the  testimony 
of  the  appostates  into  a  temporal  kingdom  which  was  to  fill  the 
whole  earth  and  subdue  all  other  kingdoms. 

"Much  was  inquired  by  the  Judge  (who  by  the  by,  was  a 
Methodist)  concerning  the  prophecy  of  Daniel,  *In  the  days  of  these 
kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom  which  shall  break 
in  pieces  all  other  kingdoms,  and  stand  forever,*  etc. ;  'and  the  king- 
dom and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom,  under  the  whole  heavens, 
shall  be  given  to  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,'  etc.,  just  as  though  it 
was  treason  to  believe  the  Bible. 

"The  remaining  prisoners  were  all  released,  or  admitted  to 
bail,  except: 

Lyman  Wight,  Caleb  Baldwin, 

Hyrum  Smith,  Alexander  McRae, 

Sidney  Rigdon  and  myself,  (Joseph  Smith,  Jr.), 

who  were  sent  to  Liberty,  Clay  county,  to  jail,  to  stand  our  trial 
for  treason  and  murder — the  treason  for  having  whipped  the  mob 
out  of  Daviess  county  and  taking  their  cannon  from  them;  and  the 
murder  for  the  man  killed  in  the  Bogart  battle;  also 
Parley  P.  Pratt,  Morris  Phelps, 

Laman  Gibbs,  Darwin  Chase, 

Norman  Shearer, 

who  were  put  into  Richmond  jail  to  stand  their  trial  for  the  same 
crimes. 

"During  the  investigation,  we  were  mostly  confined  in  chains 
and  received  much  abuse. 

"The  matter  of  driving  away  witnesses,  or  casting  them  into 
prison,  or  chasing  them  out  of  the  country,  was  carried  to  such  a 
length  that  our  lawyers.  General  Doniphan  and  Amos  Reese 
told  us  not  to  bring  our  witnesses  there  at  all;  for  if  we  did  there 
would  not  be  one  of  them  left  for  final  trial;  for  no  sooner  would 
Bogart  and  his  men  know  who  they  were  than  they  would  put 
them  out  of  the  country. 

"As  to  making  any  impression  on  King,  if  a  cohort  of  angels 
were  to  come  down  and  declare  we  were  clear,  Doniphan  said  it 
would  be  all  the  same;  for  he  (King)  had  determined  from  the 
beginning  to  cast  us  into  prison. 

"We  never  got  the  privilege  of  introducing  our  witnesses  at 
all;  if  we  had,  we  could  have  disproved  all  they  swore."  {Millenial 
Star,  Vol.  16,  pp.  539,  556,  558,  565). 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  83 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  THE 
MORMON  WAR. 

ROLLIN  J.  BRIXTON. 
FIFTH  ARTICLE. 

On  November  30th  the  prisoners  were  started  from 
Richmond  for  Liberty,  as  ordered  in  the  following  mittemus: 

"State  of  Missouri,  Ray  County. 
To  the  Keeper  of  the  Jail  of  Clay  County,  Greeting: 

Whereas,  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Hyrum  Smith,  Lyman  Wight, 
Alexander  McRae,  and  Caleb  Baldwin,  as  also  Sidney  Rigdon 
have  been  brought  before  me,  Austin  A.  King,  judge  of  the  fifth 
judicial  circuit  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  charged  with  the 
offense  of  treason  against  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  the  said  de- 
fendants, on  their  examination  before  me,  being  held  to  answer 
further  to  said  charge,  the  said  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Hyrum  Smith, 
Lyman  Wight,  Alexander  McRae  and  Caleb  Baldwin  to  answer 
in  the  County  of  Daviess,  and  the  said  Sydney  Rigdon  to  answer 
further  in  the  county  of  Caldwell,  for  said  charge  of  treason,  and 
there  being  no  jail  in  said  counties:  These  are  therefore  to  com- 
mand that  you  receive  the  said  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Hyrum  Smith, 
Lyman  Wight,  Alexander  McRae,  Caleb  Baldwin,  and  Sidney 
Rigdon  into  your  custody  in  the  jail  of  the  said  county  of  Clay, 
there  to  remain  until  they  be  delivered  therefrom  by  due  course 
of  law. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  the  29th  day  of  November, 
1838, 

Austin  A.  King. 

State  of  Missouri,  County  of  Clay, 

I,  Samuel  Hadley,  Sheriff  of  Clay  County,  do  hereby  certify 
that  the  above  is  a  true  copy  of  the  mittimus  to  me,  directed  in 
the  cases  therein  named. 

Samuel  Hadley,  Jailer, 
By,  Samuel  Tillery,  Deputy  Jailer, 
Clay  County,  Missouri."     (Millenial  Star,  vol.  16,  p.  566.) 


84  MISSOURI    HISTORICAL    REVIEW. 


LYMAN  wight's  JOURNAL. 

Lyman  Wight's  account  as  recorded  in  his  journal  is  as 
follows: 

"November  1st.  This  morning  we  were  ordered  by  General 
Wilson  to  make  ready  to  go  to  Jackson  County,  and  informed  by 
him  that  we  were  delivered  into  his  charge,  that  he  had  three 
hundred  good  soldiers,  and  that  he  would  guarantee  that  we  should 
be  well  treated;  which  promise  he  fulfilled  to  the  very  letter.  We 
were  then  placed  in  a  wagon,  marched  seventeen  miles  to  Crooked 
River,  and  camped  for  the  night. 

"2nd.  Today  we  marched  on  and  crossed  the  Missouri  River 
at  William's  Ferry  and  camped  on  the  other  side  for  the  night. 

"3rd.  We  now  found  ourselves  in  Jackson  County,  from  which 
we  were  driven  in  1833,  about  thirteen  miles  from  Independence. 
Several  times  in  the  course  of  the  day  we  were  exhibited  as  a  public 
show,  having  been  carried  in  a  covered  wagon.  But  I  have  it  to 
say  that  with  one  exception  we  were  treated  in  the  most  genteel 
manner.  We  landed  at  Independence  about  three  o'clock  P.  M. 
and  were  placed  in  a  huge  log  house  on  the  north  side  of  the  public 
square,  with  a  small  guard  about  us.  We  had  many  respectable 
visitors  this  evening,  together  with  some  few  of  the  offscouring 
of  the  earth.  We  had  food  prepared  for  and  brought  to  us.  We 
rested  very  comfortably  through  the  night. 

"4th.  This  day  we  were  at  liberty  to  go  where  we  pleased 
about  through  the  town.  We  walked  down  to  the  Temple  Lot, 
in  company  with  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Collins.  He  said 
he  presumed  the  place  did  not  look  as  it  would  had  we  been  per- 
mitted to  have  remained  in  this  County.  We  spent  (the  day) 
in  walking  about,  retired  in  the  evening  to  the  same  place  and 
tarried  for  night. 

"5th.  This  day  we  were  invited  to  dine  with  General  Wilson, 
by  the  request  of  his  wife  and  family,  where  we  were  treated  in 
the  most  genteel  style.  When  the  blessing  was  asked  at  the  table, 
his  wife  shed  tears  freely.  We  retired  after  dinner  to  our  place 
of  residence  for  the  night. 

"November  6th.  This  morning  General  Wilson  ordered  us 
to  be  moved  to  Knowlton's  Hotel,  where  we  were  treated  in  a  gen- 
teel manner.  We  spent  the  day  walking  about  through  town,  and 
traded  some  and  returned  to  Knowlton's  for  the  night. 

7th.  On  this  day  we  were  invited  to  dine  at  a  hotel  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  town.  We  returned  to  Knowlton's  in  the  evening, 
and  were  introduced  to  Colonel  Price,  who  gave  us  to  understand 
that  he  had  been  sent  by  General  Clark,  who  had  just  arrived  in 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  85 

Richmond  with  five  thousand  troops,  and  who,  by  the  order  of 
the  Governor,  was  Commander  in  Chief  of  all  the  mob  militia  in 
the  State,  ordered  us  forthwith  to  Richmond  for  a  new  trial,  as 
he  claims  the  highest  authority  of  martial  law  on  the  occasion.  He 
also  informed  us  that  General  Clark  had  with  him  an  express  order 
from  the  Governor,  to  either  exterminate  or  drive  from  the  State 
every  Mormon  within  its  borders.  We  now  returned  to  rest  and 
to  wait  the  result  of  another  day. 

8th.  This  morning  we  made  every  necessary  preparation  to 
repair  to  Richmond  as  quick  as  possible.  Colonel  Arnat  and  two 
other  men  attended  us  as  guards.  We  started  and  crossed  the 
Missouri  River  fifteen  miles  from  this  place  about  the  setting  of 
the  sun,  and  camped  in  an  old  house  on  the  opposite  bank. 

"9th.  This  morning,  about  ten  miles  from  Richmond,  we 
were  met  by  about  fifty  men,  who  guarded  us  into  Richmond, 
where  we  were  thrust  into  an  old  log  house.  Some  little  provisions 
were  brought  in,  which  we  took  in  our  hands  and  ate.  We  were 
strongly  guarded  through  the  night.  This  evening  we  were  in- 
formed that  General  Clark  had  been  to  Far  West  and  had  dis- 
armed every  Mormon  that  he  could  find,  and  had  taken  about 
sixty  prisoners  and  brought  them  to  this  place,  and  placed  them  in 
the  court  house  about  twenty  rods  from  where  we  now  are,  which 
has  neither  floor  nor  door-shutter,  and  the  weather  is  very  incle- 
ment. The  remainder  of  the  Mormons  he  said  could  remain  until 
the  opening  of  the  spring  season;  but  if  they  should  then  be  found 
attempting  to  put  in  a  crop  or  stay  longer,  they  should  most  as- 
suredly be  exterminated  without  mercy. 

"General  Clark  came  in  between  the  hours  of  seven  and  eight 
o'clock  this  evening,  who,  on  being  interrogated,  what  our  crimes 
were,  said  he  would  inform  us  in  the  morning,  and  with  a  frown 
passed  out  of  the  room.  After  receiving  many  insults  and  much 
abuse  from  the  people,  we  were  left  to  await  the  result  of  the 
morning. 

"10th.  This  morning  General  Clark  came  and  with  a  look 
of  awe  and  disdain  said:  Gentlemen,  you  are  charged  with  having 
committed  treason,  murder,  arson,  burglary,  larceny,  and  stealing, 
and  various  other  crimes,  too  numerous  to  mention,  and  in  great 
haste  left  the  room.  He  had  not  more  than  passed  the  door  when 
Colonel  Price  with  sixteen  men  stepped  in  at  the  door,  each  having 
his  gun  presented  with  his  thumb  on  the  cock.  They  were  quickly 
followed  by  a  Mr.  Fulkerson,  the  overseer  of  the  penitentiary, 
with  three  trace  chains  and  seven  padlocks  in  his  hands,  and  com- 
menced chaining  us  by  our  legs,  one  by  one,  until  we  were  all 
chained  together  about  two  feet  apart.  We  were  then  informed 
that  we  were  delivered  over  to  the  civil  law,  and  that  General  Clark, 
after  arriving  at  this  place,  had  held  a  court  martial  and  sentenced 


86  MISSOURI   HISTORICAL   REVIEW. 

US  to  be  shot,  but  fearing  this  might  not  be  correct  he  had  sent  to 
Fort  Leavenworth  to  the  United  States  officer,  whose  answer,  on 
the  subject  was  that  it  would  be  nothing  more  nor  nothing  less 
than  cold-blooded  murder  (Colonel  Richard  B.  Mason,  First 
Dragoon,  made  this  reply). 

'*  During  this  whole  time  there  had  not  been  a  process  served 
on  us,  neither  civil  or  uncivil.  We  spent  this  day  in  chains  for 
the  first  time,  ruminating  from  present  prospects  to  what  the  future 
might  be.  You  may  well  calculate  the  day  passed  off  with  gloomy 
aspect. 

"11th.  A.  King,  Circuit  Judge  of  the  Fifth  Judicial  Circuit, 
called  for  us  at  the  court  house  (at  Richmond)  today,  and  informed 
us  that  we  were  put  on  trial  for  the  above  mentioned  charges, 
stated  by  General  Clark.  (This  was  of  course  merely  a  preliminary 
hearing.)  Court  was  called  and  adjourned  for  want  of  testimony. 
We  retired  to  our  chains  and  couches  of  straw  and  spent  the  night. 

•'November  12th.  Court  opened  this  morning  and  Samson 
Avard  was  sworn.  He  was  a  man  whose  character  was  perfectly 
run  down  in  all  classes  of  society,  and  he  being  a  stranger  palmed 
himself  upon  the  Mormon  Church,  and  in  order  to  raise  himself 
in  the  estimation  of  the  church  invented  schemes  and  plans  to  go 
against  mobocracy,  which  were  perfectly  derogatory  to  the  laws 
of  this  State  and  of  the  United  States,  and  frequently  endeavored 
to  enforce  them  upon  members  of  the  church,  and  when  repulsed 
by  Joseph  Smith  he  would  frequently  become  chagrined.  At  one 
time  he  told  me  that  the  reason  why  he  could  not  carry  his  plans 
into  effect  was  that  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church  feared  that 
he  would  have  too  much  influence,  and  gain  the  honor  which  the 
First  Presidency  desired  for  themselves.  At  one  time  he  said  to 
me  that  he  would  be  damned  if  he  did  not  carry  his  plans  through. 
More  than  once  did  he  raise  a  conspiracy  against  them  (the  Presi- 
dency) in  order  to  take  their  lives,  thinking  that  he  might  then  rule 
the  church.  Now  when  he  was  brought  before  the  court  he  swore, 
that  all  these  treasonable  purposes  (which  he  had  sworn  in  his 
heart  to  perform)  originated  with  us." 

P.  P.  pratt's  account. 

p.  p.  Pratt  writes  concerning  their  treatment  at  Inde- 
pendence : 

*'We  were  soon  at  liberty  to  walk  the  streets  without  a  guard; 
and  soon  we  were  removed  from  our  house  of  confinement  to  a 
hotel,  where  we  were  entertained  in  the  best  style  of  which  the 
place  was  capable,  which  was  lodging  on  the  floor  and  a  block  of 
wood  for  a  pillow.     We  had  no  longer  any  guard — we  went  out 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  87 

and  came  in  when  we  pleased.  A  certain  keeper  being  appointed 
merely  to  look  to  us;  with  him  we  walked  out  of  town  and  visited 
the  desolate  lands  which  belonged  to  our  society,  and  the  place 
which  seven  years  before,  we  had  dedicated  and  consecrated  for 
the  building  of  a  temple,  it  being  a  beautiful  rise  of  ground  about 
half  a  mile  west  of  Independence.  When  we  saw  it  last  it  was  a 
wilderness,  but  now  our  enemies  had  robbed  it  of  every  stick  of 
timber  and  it  presented  a  beautiful  rolling  field  of  pasture  being 
covered  with  grass. 

**0h,  how  many  feelings  did  this  spot  awaken  in  our  bosoms! 
Here  we  had  often  bowed  the  knee  in  prayer  to  Jehovah  in  bygone 
years;  and  here  we  had  assembled  with  hundreds  of  happy  saints, 
in  the  solemn  meeting,  and  offered  our  prayers,  and  songs,  and 
sacraments,  in  our  humble  dwellings;  but  now  all  was  solemn  and 
lonely  desolation;  not  a  vestige  remained  to  mark  the  place  where 
stood  our  former  dwellings;  they  had  long  since  been  consumed  by 
fire,  or  removed  to  the  village  and  converted  to  the  use  of  our  en- 
emies. While  at  Independence  we  were  once  or  twice  invited  to 
dine  with  General  Wilson,  and  others,  which  we  did  with  much 
apparent  politeness  and  attention  on  their  part,  and  much  cheer- 
fulness on  our  own. 

"After  about  a  week  spent  in  this  way,  during  which  I  was 
at  one  time  alone  in  the  wilderness  more  than  a  mile  from  town, 
we  were  at  length  (after  repeated  demands)  sent  to  General  Clark, 
at  Richmond.  This  place  was  on  the  same  side  of  Missouri  that 
Far  West  was,  and  about  thirty  miles  distant. 

"Generals  Lucas  and  Wilson  had  tried  in  vain  to  get  a  guard 
to  accompany  us;  none  would  volunteer,  and  when  drafted  they 
would  not  obey  orders;  for  in  truth,  they  wished  us  to  go  at  liberty. 

"At  last  a  Colonel  and  two  or  three  oflScers  started  with  us, 
with  their  swords  and  pistols,  which  was  more  to  protect  us  than 
to  keep  us  from  escaping.  On  this  journey  some  of  us  rode  in  car- 
riages and  some  on  horseback.  Sometimes  we  were  sixty  or 
eighty  rods  in  front  or  rear  of  our  guard,  who,  by  the  by,  were  three 
sheets  in  the  wind  in  the  whiskey  line,  having  a  bottle  in  their 
pockets;  but  knowing  we  were  not  guilty  of  any  crime  we  did  not 
wish  to  escape  by  flight.  At  night  having  crossed  the  ferry,  we 
put  up  at  a  private  house.  Here  our  guards  all  went  to  bed  and 
to  sleep,  leaving  us  their  pistols  to  defend  ourselves  in  case  of 
any  attack  from  without,  as  we  were  in  a  very  hostile  neighbi)r- 
hood."     {Persecutions  oj  the  Saints,  pp.  92-95.) 

One  touching  incident  we  relate  here  as  given  by  Mr. 
Pratt,  as  occurring  at  the  preliminary  at  Richmond : 

"The  Court  of  inquiry  now  commenced  before  Judge  A.  A. 


88  MISSOURI   HISTORICAL    REVIEW. 

King.  This  continued  from  the  11th  to  the  28th  of  November, 
during  which  we  were  kept  most  of  the  time  in  chains,  and  our 
brethren,  some  fifty  in  number,  were  penned  up  in  the  open,  un- 
finished court  house. 

**It  was  a  very  severe  spell  of  snow  and  winter  weather,  and 
we  suffered  much.  During  this  time  Elder  Rigdon  was  taken  very 
sick  from  hardship  and  exposure,  and  finally  lost  his  reason;  but 
still  he  was  kept  in  a  miserable,  noisy,  and  cold  room,  and  compelled 
to  sleep  on  the  floor  with  a  chain  and  padlock  round  his  ankle,  and 
fastened  to  six  others;  and  here  he  endured  the  constant  noise  and 
confusion  of  an  unruly  guard  who  were  changed  every  few  hours, 
and  who  were  frequently  composed  of  the  most  noisy,  foul-mouthed, 
vulgar,  disgraceful,  indecent  rabble  that  ever  defiled  the  earth. 
While  we  lay  in  this  situation,  his  son-in-law,  George  Robinson, 
the  only  male  member  of  his  numerous  family,  was  chained  by 
his  side;  and  thus  Mrs.  Rigdon  and  her  daughters  were  left  entirely 
destitute  and  unprotected.  One  of  his  daughters,  Mrs.  Robinson, 
a  young  and  delicate  female,  with  her  little  infant,  came  down  to 
see  her  husband  and  to  comfort  and  take  care  of  her  father  in  his 
sickness.  When  she  first  entered  the  room,  amid  the  clank  of 
chains  and  the  bristle  of  weapons,  and  cast  her  eyes  on  her  sick 
and  dejected  parent  and  sorrow-worn  husband,  she  was  speechless, 
and  only  gave  vent  to  her  feelings  in  a  flood  of  tears.  This  faithful 
lady  with  her  little  infant  continued  by  the  bed  of  her  father  till 
he  recovered  from  his  sickness  and  till  his  fevered  and  disordered 
mind  assumed  its  wonted  powers  of  intellect. 

**In  this  mock  court  of  inquiry  the  judge  could  not  be  pre- 
vailed on  to  examine  the  conduct  of  the  murderers,  robbers,  and 
plunderers,  who  had  desolated  our  society.  Nor  would  he  receive 
testimony  except  against  us.  And  by  the  dissenters  and  apostates 
who  wished  to  save  their  own  lives  and  secure  their  propertj'^  at 
the  expense  of  others;  and  by  those  who  had  murdered  and  plun- 
dered us  from  time  to  time,  he  obtained  abundance  of  testimony, 
much  of  which  was  entirely  false."  (Persecution  oj  the  Saints, 
pp.  102-104.) 

FOUR  OF  THE  MORMON  LEADERS  SENT  AS  PRISONERS  TO 
BOONE  COUNTY. 

Of  the  prisoners  left  at  Richmond  when  Joseph  and  his 
companions  were  taken  to  Liberty,  all  were  finally  released 
but  four,  and  they  were  sent  to  Columbia,  in  Boone  County. 
Of  this,  Mr.  Pratt  writes  as  follows: 

"On  the  24th  day  of  April  our  eases  were  laid  before  the  grand 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         89 

jury  of  the  County  of  Ray;  and  Darwin  Chase  and  Norman. 
Shearer  were  dismissed  after  being  imprisoned  near  six  months. 
This  release  happened  just  as  Mr.  Shearer  came  to  visit  his  son 
for  the  last  time  before  he  left  the  country.  He  came  into  the 
prison  to  see  us,  and  not  knowing  of  the  intended  release,  he  took 
an  affectionate  leave  of  us  and  of  his  son,  who  seemed  to  weep  with 
heartbroken  anguish.  But  while  he  yet  lingered  in  town,  his  son 
was  called  before  the  court,  and  with  Mr.  Chase  was  told  that 
they  might  go  at  liberty.  The  father  and  son  then  embraced 
each  other  almost  overcome  with  joy,  and  departed.  At  the  same 
time,  my  brother  Orson  Pratt,  whom  I  had  not  before  seen  for  a 
year,  came  from  Illinois  to  see  me,  but  was  only  permitted  to  visit 
me  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  was  ordered  to  depart.  Mrs. 
Phelps,  who  had  waited  in  prison  for  some  days  in  hopes  that  the 
court  would  release  her  husband,  now  parted  without  him,  over- 
whelmed with  sorrow  and  tears,  and  with  her  infant  moved  slowly 
away  to  remove  to  IlUnois  and  leave  her  husband  behind.  Thus 
our  families  wander  in  a  strange  land,  without  our  protection, 
being  robbed  of  house  and  home.  Oh,  God,  who  can  endure  the 
thought!  Come  out  in  justice,  O,  Lord,  and  restore  us  to  our 
mourning  families! 

"Our  number  in  prison  were  reduced  to  four,  one  having  been 
added  about  the  middle  of  April.  His  name  was  King  FoUet;  he 
was  dragged  from  his  distressed  family  just  as  they  were  leaving 
the  state.  Thus  of  all  the  prisoners  which  were  taken  at  an 
expense  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  only  two  of  the  original 
ones,  who  belonged  to  the  church,  now  remained.  Mr.  Gibbs, 
having  denied  the  faith,  to  try  to  save  his  life.  These  were  Morris 
Phelps  and  myself.  All  who  were  let  to  bail  were  banished  from 
the  State,  together  with  those  who  bailed  them.  Thus  none  are 
like  to  have  a  trial  by  law  except  ourselves,  and  we  are  without 
friends  or  witnesses  in  the  State.  After  the  grand  jury  had  found 
a  bill  against  us  for  defending  ourselves  in  the  battle  with  Bogart's 
Company,  we  were  kept  in  prison  at  Richmond  for  about  a  month. 
We  then  took  a  change  of  venue  and  were  ordered  to  be  sent  to 
Columbia,  Boone  County,  for  trial. 

"On  the  22nd  day  of  May  we  were  handcuffed  together,  two 
and  two  with  irons  round  the  wrist  of  each  and  in  this  fix  we  were 
taken  from  prison  and  placed  in  a  carriage. 

"The  people  of  Richmond  gathered  around  to  see  us  depart; 
but  none  seemed  to  feel  for  us  except  two  persons.  One  of  these 
(General  Park's  lady)  bowed  to  us  through  the  window,  and  looked 
as  if  touched  with  pity. 

"The  other  was  a  Mr.  Huggins,  merchant  of  Richmond,  who 
bowed  with  some  feeling  as  we  passed.     We  now  took  leave  of 


90  MISSOURI   HISTORICAL   REVIEW. 

Richmond,  accompanied  by  Sheriff  Brown,  and  four  guards  with 
drawn  pistols,  and  moved  on  towards  Columbia.  No  tongue  can 
describe  our  sensations  as  we  came  forth  from  a  most  filthy  dungeon, 
where  we  had  been  confined  for  near  seven  months,  and  began  to 
breathe  the  free  air,  and  to  change  the  scenery  and  look  abroad 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  There  was  a  sweetness  in  the  air  and 
a  perfume  from  the  earth  which  none  could  fully  realize  except  such 
as  have  been  for  a  long  time  confined  in  tainted  air.  It  had  been 
thundering  and  raining  for  some  days  and  the  thunderstorm  lasted 
with  but  short  cessations  from  the  time  we  started  till  we  arrived 
at  the  place  of  destination,  which  was  five  days. 

"The  small  streams  were  swollen  so  as  to  be  very  difficult 
crossing  them.  On  the  second  day  we  came  to  a  creek  which  was 
several  rods  over,  with  a  strong  current,  and  very  deep.  It  was 
towards  evening  and  far  from  any  house,  and  we  had  received 
no  refreshment  through  the  day.  Here  we  halted,  and  knew  not 
what  to  do.  We  waited  awhile  for  the  water  to  fall  but  it  fell 
slowly.  All  hands  were  hungry  and  impatient,  and  a  lowery  night 
seemed  to  threaten  that  the  creek  would  rise  before  morning  by 
the  falling  of  additional  rains.  In  this  dilemma  some  counseled 
one  thing  and  some  another.  Some  said,  go  back  some  miles  to 
a  house  and  tarry  till  morning.  Others  said,  camp  here  for  the 
night.  Others  said,  swim  the  river  and  leave  the  carriage  and 
baggage  till  morning;  and  some  advised  to  attempt  to  drive  some 
miles  around  the  head  of  the  stream.  At  last  I  proposed  to  the 
Sheriff  that  if  he  would  take  off  my  irons  I  would  go  into  the  water 
to  bathe  and  by  that  means  ascertain  the  depth  and  bottom;  this 
he  consented  to  do,  after  some  hesitation.  I  then  plunged  into 
the  stream  and  swam  across,  and  attempted  to  wade  back;  I 
found  it  to  be  a  hard  bottom,  and  the  water  about  up  to  my  chin; 
but  a  very  stiff  current.  After  this,  Mr.  Brown,  the  sheriff, 
undertook  to  cross  on  his  horse;  but  just  as  his  horse  neared  the 
opposite  shore  he  sprang  sidewise  to  gain  a  bank,  and  Mr.  Brown 
was  thrown  off  his  horse  and  buried  in  the  stream.  He  could 
not  swim,  but  sprang  out,  hollowing  and  flouncing  in  a  manner 
that  caused  much  merriment  to  the  company.  This  accident 
decided  the  fate  of  the  day.  Being  now  completely  wet,  he  re- 
solved to  effect  the  crossing  of  the  whole  company,  bag  and  baggage. 
Accordingly,  several  stripped  off  their  clothes  and  mounted  on  the 
barebacks  of  the  horses;  and,  taking  their  clothing,  saddles,  and 
arms,  together  with  our  trunk  and  bedding  upon  their  shoulders, 
they  bore  them  across  in  safety,  without  wetting. 

"This  was  done  by  riding  backwards  and  forwards  across  the 
•tream  several  times.  In  this  sport  and  labor,  prisoners,  guards, 
and  all  mingled  in  mutual  exertion.  All  was  now  safe  but  the  car- 
riage.    Mr.  Phelps  then  proposed  to  swim  that  across  by  hitching 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  91 

two  horses  before  it;  and  he  mounted  on  one  of  their  backs,  while 
myself  and  one  of  the  guards  swam  by  the  side  of  the  carriage  to 
keep  it  from  upsetting  by  the  force  of  the  current.  And  thus, 
Paul  like,  we  all  got  safe  to  land.  Everything  was  soon  replaced 
and  ourselves  in  the  carriage,  and  the  suite  on  horseback,  we  moved 
swiftly  on,  and  at  dark  arrived  at  a  house  of  entertainment,  amid 
a  terrible  thunderstorm.  Next  morning  we  proceeded  on  and  in 
a  few  miles  came  to  another  swimming  stream;  but  after  some 
consultation  it  was  thought  best  to  go  around  the  head  of  the 
stream.  We  accordingly  took  our  back  track  for  a  half  mile, 
and  then  striking  to  the  north  in  the  open  prairie,  without  any 
track,  we  rode  some  seven  miles  around,  crossed  the  head  of  the 
stream,  and  returned  to  the  road  which  we  had  left;  this  day  we 
crossed  the  Missouri  at  a  place  called  Arrow  Rock,  being  named 
from  the  circumstance  of  the  natives  coming  there  from  all  quarters 
to  get  a  kind  of  hard  rock  from  the  bluff  to  make  arrow  points. 
In  this  journey  we  had  slept  each  night  on  our  backs  on  the  floor, 
being  all  four  of  us  bound  together,  with  hand  and  ankle  irons 
made  for  the  purpose. 

"This  being  done,  the  windows  and  doors  were  all  fastened, 
and  then  five  guards  with  their  loaded  pistols  staid  in  the  room, 
and  one  at  a  time  sat  up  and  watched  during  the  night.  This 
cruelty  was  inflicted  on  us  more  to  gratify  a  wicked  disposition  than 
anything  else;  for  it  was  in  vain  for  us  to  have  tried  to  escape, 
without  any  irons  being  put  on  us;  and  had  we  wished  to  escape, 
we  had  a  tolerable  good  opportunity  at  the  creek. 

"When  we  arrived  within  four  miles  of  Columbia,  the  bridge 
had  been  destroyed  from  over  a  large  and  rapid  river;  and  here  we 
were  some  hours  in  crossing  over  in  a  tottlish  canoe,  having  to 
leave  our  carriage  together  with  our  bedding,  clothing,  our  trunk 
of  clothing,  books,  papers,  etc.,  but  all  came  to  us  in  safety  after 
two  days. 

"After  we  had  crossed  the  river,  our  guards  having  swam  their 
horses,  mounted  them,  and  we  proceeded  toward  Columbia,  the 
prisoners  walking  on  foot,  two  being  fastened  together  two  and 
two  by  the  wrists. 

"After  walking  two  or  three  miles,  Mr.  Brown  hired  a  carriage, 
and  we  rode  into  Columbia.  It  was  about  sunset  on  Sunday 
evening,  and  as  the  carriage  and  our  armed  attendants  drove 
through  the  streets  we  were  gazed  upon  with  astonishment  by 
hundreds  of  spectators,  who  thronged  the  streets  and  looked  out 
at  the  windows,  doors,  etc.,  anxious  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  strange 
beings  called  Mormons.  On  our  arrival  we  were  immediately 
hurried  to  the  prison  without  going  to  a  tavern  for  refreshment, 
although  we  had  traveled  a  long  distance  without  anything  to  eat. 


92  MISSOURI    HISTORICAL   REVIEW. 

When  unloosened  from  our  fetters  we  were  ushered  immediately 
from  the  carriage  into  the  jail,  and  the  next  moment  a  huge  trap 
door  was  opened,  and  down  we  went  into  a  most  dismal  dungeon, 
which  was  full  of  cobwebs  and  filth  above,  below,  and  all  around 
the  walls,  having  stood  empty  for  near  two  years.  Here  was 
neither  beds,  nor  chairs,  nor  water,  nor  food,  nor  friends,  nor  anyone 
whom  we  might  call,  even  for  a  drink  of  cold  water;  for  Brown  and 
all  others  had  withdrawn  to  go  where  they  could  refresh  themselves. 
When  thrust  into  this  dungeon,  we  were  nearly  ready  to  faint  with 
hunger,  and  thirst,  and  weariness.  We  walked  the  room  for  a 
few  moments,  and  then  sank  down  upon  the  floor  in  despondency, 
and  wished  to  die,  for,  like  Elijah  of  old,  if  the  Lord  had  inquired, 
'What  dost  thou  here?'  we  could  have  replied,  'Lord,  they  have 
killed  the  prophets,  and  thrown  down  thine  altars,  and  have  driven 
out  all  thy  saints  from  the  land,  and  we  only  are  left  to  tell  thee; 
and  they  seek  our  lives,  to  take  them  away;  and  now,  therefore, 
let  us  die.' 

"Our  feelings  were  the  more  melancholy  because  here  we  had 
hoped  to  see  our  families  from  Illinois  or  some  kind  friend  from 
thence,  as  we  had  not  heard  from  them  for  some  time  and  were 
now  within  one  hundred  miles  of  them:  but  we  neither  saw  nor 
heard  of  any  one  who  knew  us  or  cared  for  us.  We  now  sent  to 
the  post  office,  but  got  no  letters.  Our  families  and  friends,  it 
seemed,  had  even  neglected  to  write  us — this  seemed  the  more 
unaccountable,  as  they  had  long  expected  us  at  Columbia.  When 
we  had  been  in  the  dungeon  for  some  time,  our  new  jailer  handed 
down  some  provisions,  but  by  this  time  I  was  too  faint  to  eat; 
I  tasted  a  few  mouthfuls,  and  then  suddenly  the  trap  door  opened, 
and  some  chairs  were  handed  to  us,  and  the  new  sheriff,  Mr. 
Martin,  and  his  deputy,  Mr.  Hamilton,  entered  our  dungeon  and 
talked  so  kindly  to  us  that  our  spirits  again  revived  in  some  measure. 
This  night  we  slept  cold  and  uncomfortable;  having  but  little 
bedding.  Next  morning,  we  were  suffered  to  come  out  of  the 
dungeon,  and  the  liberty  of  the  upper  room  was  given  us  through 
the  day  ever  afterwards."     {Persecution  of  the  Saints,  pp.  114-124.) 


ESCAPE    OF    THE    MORMONS    FROM    THE    BOONE    COUNTY  JAIL. 

P.  P.  Pratt  and  Morris  Phelps  escaped  from  the  Boone 
County  jail  on  July  4,  1839,  and  finally  made  their  way  to 
their  families  in  Illinois.  Mr.  Follet  broke  jail  with  them, 
but  was  recaptured.  Mr.  Luman  Gibbs,  the  other  one  of 
the  four,  apostatized,  and  was  acquitted  on  trial.  Mr.  Follet 
was  retained  several  months  and  dismissed. 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         93 

The  following  is  Mr.  Pratt's  account  of  their  thrilling 
escape : 

"The  author  of  the  foregoing  narrative  is  now  at  liberty  and 
some  account  of  his  narrow  escape  from  prison  and  from  the  State 
of  Missouri  is  due  to  the  public.  On  the  1st  of  July  the  special 
term  of  the  court  was  held  at  Columbia  for  our  trials  but  was 
adjourned  for  nearly  three  months  because  all  our  witnesses  were 
banished  from  the  state.  Under  these  circumstances  we  were  un- 
willing to  be  tried  in  a  state  where  all  law  and  justice  were  at  an 
end.  We  accordingly  thought  it  justifiable  to  make  our  escape. 
In  the  meantime  we  were  visited  by  Mrs.  Phelps,  the  wife  of  one 
of  the  prisoners,  and  also  by  my  brother,  Orson  Pratt,  and  Mrs. 
Phelps'  brother. 

"These  all  came  from  Illinois  or  Iowa  on  horseback,  and  visited 
with  us  for  several  days.  On  the  4th  of  July  we  felt  desirous  as 
usual  to  celebrate  an  anniversary  of  American  liberty.  We  ac- 
cordingly manufactured  a  white  flag  consisting  of  the  half  of  a 
shirt,  on  which  we  inscribed  the  word  'Liberty'  in  large  letters, 
and  also  a  large  American  eagle  was  put  on  in  red.  We  then 
obtained  a  pole  from  our  jailer,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  4th 
this  flag  was  suspended  from  the  front  window  of  our  prison,  over- 
hanging the  public  square,  and  floating  triumphantly  in  the  air 
to  the  full  view  of  the  citizens  who  assembled  by  hundreds  to 
celebrate  the  National  jubilee.  With  this  the  citizens  seemed 
highly  pleased,  and  sent  a  portion  of  the  public  dinner  to  us  and 
our  friends,  who  partook  with  us  in  prison  with  merry  hearts,  as 
we  intended  to  gain  our  liberties  or  be  in  paradise  before  the  close 
of  that  eventful  day.  While  we  were  thus  employed  in  prison, 
the  town  was  alive  with  troops  parading,  guns  firing,  and  shouts 
of  joy,  resounding  on  every  side.  In  the  meantime  we  wrote  the 
following  toast,  which  was  read  at  their  public  dinner,  with  many 
and  long  cheers: 

'The  patriotic  and  hospitable  citizens  of  Boone 
County;  opposed  to  tyranny  and  oppression,  and  firm 
to  the  original  principles  of  repubUcan  liberty — may  they 
in  common  with  every  part  of  our  wide-spreading  country, 
long  enjoy  the  blessings  which  flow  from  the  fountain 
of  American  Independence.' 

"Our  dinner  being  ended,  our  two  brethren  took  leave  of  us 
and  started  for  Illinois  (leaving  Mrs.  Phelps  to  still  visit  with  her 
husband).  They  had  proceeded  a  mile  or  two  on  the  road  and 
then  took  into  the  woods,  and  finally  placed  their  three  horses 
in  a  thicket  within  one-third  of  a  mile  of  the  prison,  and  there 
they  waited  in  anxious  suspense  till  sundown.     In  the  meantime 


94  MISSOURI   HISTORICAL   REVIEW. 

we  put  on  our  coats  and  hats  and  waited  for  the  setting  sun,  with 
prayer  and  supplication  for  deliverance  from  this  long  and  tedious 
bondage;  and  for  a  restoration  to  the  society  of  our  friends  and 
families,  we  then  sang  the  following  lines: 

'Lord  cause  their  foolish  plans  to  fail. 

And  let  them  faint  or  die, 
Our  souls  would  quit  this  loathsome  jail, 

And  fly  to  Illinois, 

'To  join  with  the  embodied  saints. 

Who  are  with  freedom  blessed, 
That  only  bliss  for  which  we  pant. 
With  them  awhile  to  rest. 

'Give  joy  for  grief — give  ease  for  pain, 

Take  all  our  foes  away, 
But  let  us  find  our  friends  again, 
In  this  eventful  day.' 

"This  ended  the  celebration  of  our  National  liberty,  but  the 
gaining  of  our  own  was  the  grand  achievement  now  before  us. 

"In  the  meantime  the  sun  was  setting.  The  moment  arrived, 
the  footsteps  of  the  jailer  were  heard  on  the  stairs.  Every  man 
flew  to  his  feet,  and  stood  near  the  door.  The  great  door  was 
opened,  and  our  supper  handed  in  through  a  small  hole  in  the 
inner  door,  which  still  remained  locked;  but  at  length  the  key  was 
turned  in  order  to  hand  in  the  pot  of  coffee.  No  sooner  was  the 
key  turned  than  the  door  was  jerked  open,  and  in  a  moment  all 
three  of  us  were  out  and  rushing  down  the  stairs.  The  foremost, 
Mr.  Phelps,  was  clinched  by  the  jailer;  both  tumbled  down  the 
stairs,  through  the  entry  and  out  into  the  dooryard,  when  Phelps 
cleared  himself  without  injuring  the  jailer,  and  all  of  us  leaped 
several  fences,  ran  through  the  fields  towards  the  thicket,  where 
we  expected  to  find  our  friends  and  horses.  In  the  meantime  the 
town  was  alarmed  and  many  were  seen  rushing  after  us,  some  on 
horseback  and  some  on  foot,  prepared  with  dogs,  guns,  and  what- 
ever came  to  hand.  But  the  flag  of  liberty  with  its  eagle  still 
floated  on  high  in  the  distance  and  under  its  banner  our  nerves 
seemed  to  strengthen  at  every  step.  We  gained  the  horses, 
mounted,  and  dashed  into  the  wilderness,  each  his  own  way. 
After  a  few  jumps  of  my  horse  I  was  hailed  by  an  armed  man  at 
pistol  shot  distance,  crying,  'D n  you,  stop,  or  I'll  shoot  you.' 

"I  rushed  onward  deeper  in  the  forest,  while  the  cry  was 

repeated  in  close  pursuit,  crying,  'D n  you,  stop,  or  I'll  shoot 

you,'  at  every  step,  till  at  length  it  died  away  in  the  distance. 

"I  plunged  a  mile  into  the  forest,  came  to  a  halt,  tied  my 
horse  in  a  thicket,  went  a  distance  and  climbed  a  tree  to  await 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         95 

the  approaching  darkness.  Being  so  little  used  to  exercise,  I 
fainted  through  over-exertion,  and  remained  so  faint  for  nearly 
an  hour  that  I  could  not  get  down  from  the  tree.  But,  calling  on 
the  Lord,  he  strengthened  me,  and  I  came  down  from  the  tree. 
But,  my  horse  had  got  loose  and  gone.  I  then  made  my  way  on 
foot  for  several  days  and  nights,  principally  without  food,  and 
scarcely  suffering  myself  to  be  seen.  After  five  days  of  dreadful 
suffering  with  fatigue  and  hunger,  I  crossed  the  Mississippi  and 
found  myself  once  more  in  a  land  of  freedom.  Hundreds  of  my 
friends  crowded  around  me,  and  many  of  the  citizens  of  Illinois, 
although  strangers  to  me,  received  and  welcomed  me  as  one  who 
had  escaped  from  a  persecution  almost  unparalelled  in  modern 
history. 

**I  was  everywhere  invited  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  gave 
many  public  addresses,  but  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  retake 
myself  and  fellow  prisoners."  (Persecution  oj  the  Saints,  pp. 
164-169.) 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  97 


Early  Days  on  Grand  River  and  the 
Mormon  War 

ROLLIN  J.  BRITTON 
SIXTH  ARTICLE. 

Returning  to  Joseph  Smith,  Jun,  and  his  companions,  we 
find -that  they  reached  Liberty  jail  on  December  1,  1838, 
where  they  were  visited  by  their  families  and  numerous  friends, 
including  General  Doniphan,  during  the  month  of  December. 

On  January  16,  1839,  Mr.  Turner  from  the  joint  select 
committee,  introduced  a  bill  in  the  Missouri  Senate  to  provide 
for  the  investigation  of  the  late  disturbances  in  this  State. 
This  bill  provided  for  a  joint  committee  to  investigate  the 
causes  of  the  disturbances  between  the  people  called  Mormons 
and  other  inhabitants  of  this  State,  and  conduct  of  the  mili- 
tary operations  in  repressing  them,  which  committee  shall 
consist  of  two  senators  to  be  elected  by  the  Senate  and  of  three 
representatives  to  be  elected  by  the  House  of  Representatives. 
The  bill  further  provided  that  the  committee  should  meet 
at  Richmond,  Ray  County,  on  the  first  Monday  in  May 
and  thereafter  at  such  times  and  places  as  they  should  ap- 
point, and  made  provision  for  organization  and  clothed  the 
committee  with  the  power  of  a  court.  This  bill  was  passed 
by  the  Senate  on  January  31;  but  on  February  4,  the  House 
laid  it  on  the  table  until  July  4,  1839,  which  made  it  too  late 
to  benefit  the  Mormons. 

On  Thursday,  January  24,  1839,  Joseph  Smith  wrote  a 
letter  as  follows: 

"To  the  Honorable  the  Legislature  of  Missouri: 

Your  memorialists,  having  a  few  days  since  solicited  your 
attention  to  the  same  subject,  would  now  respectfully  submit  to 
your  honorable  body  a  few  additional  facts  in  support  of  their 
prayer. 

They  are  now  imprisoned  under  a  charge  of  treason  against  the 
State  of  Missouri  and  their  lives  and  fortunes  and  characters  being 


98  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

suspended  upon  the  result  of  the  criminal  charges  preferred  against 
them. 

Your  honorable  body  will  excuse  them  for  manifesting  the 
deep  concern  they  feel  in  relation  to  their  trials  for  a  crime  so 
enormous  as  that  of  treason. 

It  is  not  our  object  to  complain — to  asperse  anyone.  All  we 
ask  is  a  fair  and  impartial  trial.  We  ask  the  sympathies  of  no  one. 
We  ask  sheer  justice;  'tis  all  we  expect,  and  all  we  merit,  but  we 
merit  that.  We  know  the  people  of  no  county  in  this  state  to 
which  we  would  ask  our  final  trials  to  be  sent  are  prejudiced  in  our 
favor.  But  they  beheve  that  the  state  of  excitement  existing  in 
most  of  the  upper  counties  is  such  that  a  jury  would  be  im- 
properly influenced  by  it.  But  that  excitement  and  the  prejudice 
against  us  in  the  counties  comprising  the  fifth  judicial  Circuit  are 
not  the  only  obstacles  we  are  compelled  to  meet.  We  know  that 
much  of  that  prejudice  against  us  is  not  so  much  to  be  attributed 
to  a  want  of  honest  motives  amongst  the  citizens  as  it  is  to  wrong 
information. 

But  it  is  a  difficult  task  to  change  opinions  once  formed.  The 
other  obstacle  which  we  candidly  consider  one  of  the  most  weighty 
is  the  feeling  which  we  believe  is  entertained  by  the  Hon.  A.  A.  King 
against  us,  and  the  consequent  incapacity  to  do  us  impartial 
justice.  It  is  from  no  disposition  to  speak  disrespectfully  of  that 
high  officer  that  we  lay  before  your  honorable  body  the  facts  we 
do;  but  simply  that  the  legislature  may  be  apprised  of  our  real 
conditions.  We  look  upon  Judge  King  as  like  all  other  mere  men, 
liable  to  be  influenced  by  his  feelings,  his  prejudices,  and  his  pre- 
viously formed  opinions.  We  consider  his  reputation  as  being 
partially  if  not  entirely  committed  against  us.  He  has  written 
much  upon  the  subject  of  our  late  difficulties,  in  which  he  has 
placed  us  in  the  wrong.  These  letters  have  been  published  to  the 
world. 

He  has  also  presided  at  an  excited  public  meeting,  as  chairman, 
and  no  doubt  sanctioned  all  the  proceedings.  We  do  not  com- 
plain of  the  citizens  who  held  that  meeting,  they  were  entitled  to 
that  privilege.  But  for  the  judge  before  whom  the  very  men  were 
to  be  tried  for  a  capital  ofiFense  to  participate  in  an  expression  of 
condemnation  of  these  same  individuals  is  to  us  at  least  apparently 
wrong;  and  we  cannot  think  that  we  should  after  such  a  course  on 
the  part  of  the  Judge,  have  the  same  chance  of  a  fair  and  impartial 
trial  as  all  admit  we  ought  to  have. 

We  believe  that  the  foundation  of  the  feeling  against  us  which 
we  have  reason  to  think  Judge  King  entertains  may  be  traced  to 
the  unfortunate  troubles  which  occurred  in  Jackson  County  some 
few  years  ago.     In  a  battle  between  the  "Mormons"  and  a  portion 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.  99 

of  the  citizens  of  that  county,  Mr.  Brazeale,  the  brother-in-law 
of  Judge  King,  was  killed. 

It  is  natural  that  the  Judge  should  have  some  feeling  against 
us,  whether  we  were  right  or  wrong  in  that  controversy. 

We  mention  these  facts,  not  to  disparage  Judge  King;  we 
believe  that  from  the  relations  he  bears  to  us  he  would  himself  pre- 
fer that  our  trials  should  be  had  in  a  different  circuit  and  before  a 
different  court.  Many  other  reasons  we  might  mention,  but  we 
forbear." 

The  letter  was  directed  to  James  M.  Hughes,  Esq.,  Member  of 
the  House  of  Representatives,  Jefferson  City. 

(Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  pp.  7709-11.) 

On  Saturday,  January  26,  1839,  the  Mormon  citizens  of 
Caldwell  County  met  at  Far  West  and  appointed  a  committee 
of  seven,  to- wit:  John  Taylor,  Alanson  Ripley,  Brigham 
Young,  Theodore  Turley,  H.  C.  Kimball,  John  Smith,  and 
D.  C.  Smith  to  draft  resolutions  respecting  their  removal  from 
the  State  according  to  the  Governor's  order,  and  to  devise 
means  for  removing  the  destitute.'  This  Committee  reported 
to  the  reassembled  meeting  on  the  29th,  when  John  Taylor,  as 
chairman,  read  the  following  covenant  which  was  adopted, 
to- wit : 

"We,  whose  names  are  hereunder  written,  do  for  ourselves, 
individually,  hereby  covenant  to  stand  by  and  assist  each  other  to 
the  utmost  of  our  abilities  in  removing  from  the  State  in  compliance 
with  the  authority  of  the  State,  and  we  do  hereby  acknowledge 
ourselves  firmly  bound  to  the  extent  of  all  our  available  property, 
to  be  disposed  of  by  a  committee  who  shall  be  appointed  for  that 
purpose,  for  providing  means  for  the  removing  of  the  poor  and 
destitute  who  shall  be  considered  worthy  from  this  county  till 
there  shall  not  be  one  left  who  desires  to  remove  from  the  State; 
with  this  proviso,  that  no  individual  shall  be  deprived  of  the  right 
of  the  disposal  of  his  own  property  for  the  above  purpose,  or  of 
having  the  control  of  it,  or  so  much  of  it  as  shall  be  necessary  for 
the  removing  of  his  own  family,  and  to  be  entitled  to  the  overplus, 
after  the  work  is  effected;  and  furthermore,  said  committee  shall 
give  receipts  for  all  property,  and  an  account  of  the  expenditure  of 
the  same."     {Millenial  Star,  Vol.  16,  p.  730.) 

The  committee  on  removal  provided  for  were:  William 
Huntington,  Charles  Bird,  Alanson  Ripley,  Theodore  Turley, 
Daniel  Shearer,  Shadrach  Roundy,  and  J.  H.  Hale,  the  first 
named  being  chairman.     The  above  covenant  was  then  signed 


100  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

by  two  hundred  and  fourteen  persons — later  on  February  1st, 
the  Committee  on  removal  was  increased  to  eleven  by  adding 
the  names  of:  Elias  Smith,  Erastus  Bingham,  Stephen  Mark- 
ham,  and  James  Newberry;  Daniel  Shearer  became  treasurer, 
and  Elias  Smith,  clerk  of  this  Committee. 

On  January  31,  1839,  the  bill  of  Mr.  Turner,  heretofore 
referred  to,  passed  the  State  Senate  but  it  was  laid  on  the  table 
of  the  House  on  February  4th,  till  July  4th,  by  a  majority  of 
seven  and  therefore  availed  the  Mormons  nothing. 

Charles  Bird  was  sent  in  advance  to  buy  and  store  corn 
on  the  way,  and  to  make  contracts  for  ferriage  across  the 
Mississippi  River. 

On  January  22nd  a  writ  was  served  on  the  prisoners  and 
they  were  taken  to  the  Clay  County  Court  House  and  their 
preliminary  trial  set  for  the  25th.  The  court  convened  on  this 
latter  date  but  this  cause  was  continued  till  the  26th,  and  then 
adjourned  until  Monday,  January  28th,  1839;  by  noon  of  that 
date  the  evidence  was  all  in.  This  hearing  was  before  Judge 
Turnham.  A  day  and  a  half  was  devoted  to  the  argument,  the 
State  being  represented  by  a  lawyer  by  the  name  of  Wood, 
while  speeches  for  the  defense  were  made  by  Alexander  W. 
Doniphan,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum  Smith,  Ly- 
man Wight  and  Calib  Baldwin.  The  result  of  it  all  was  that 
Sidney  Rigdon  was  admitted  to  bail  and  the  others  were  all 
remanded  to  jail  without  bail.  Rigdon  gave  bail  and  was 
released  from  jail  on  February  5th. 

On  February  7th,  Alanson  Ripley,  David  Holman,  Watson 
Barlow,  William  Huntington,  Jr.,  Erastus  Snow  and  Cyrus 
Daniels  were  visitors  at  the  jail  and  they  remained  till  supper 
time.  As  Cyrus  Daniels  was  being  let  out  by  the  jailer 
Hyrum  Smith  made  an  effort  to  slip  out  behind  Daniels  but 
the  jailer  caught  him  and  returned  him  to  the  jail,  where  the 
five  remaining  visitors  were  also  locked  in  with  the  prisoners, 
and  charged  with  being  accessory  to  an  attempted  jail  break. 
Erastus  Snow  was  acquitted  of  the  charge  but  the  other  four 
were  held  to  bail  in  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
each.  They  were  kept  in  jail  till  the  13th  on  which  day  they 
gave  bail  and  were  permitted  to  go  home. 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR  101 

On  March  1st  the  prisoners  made  an  ineffectual  attempt 
to  bore  holes  through  the  walls  of  the  log  jail — ^just  how  they 
obtained  augers  for  the  purpose  does  not  appear,  but  the  logs 
were  too  hard  for  them  and  this  effort  to  make  a  breach  failed. 
On  March  15th  the  prisoners  prepared  petitions  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  praying  writs  of  habeas  corpus.  These  petitions 
were  carried  to  Jefferson  City,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  any 
action  was  taken  on  them. 

On  April  6,  1839,  Judge  Austin  A.  King  ordered  the 
prisoners  taken  to  Daviess  County  and  they  left  jail  at  Liberty 
under  a  guard  of  about  ten  men  commanded  by  Samuel  Tillery, 
deputy  jailer  of  Clay  County.  On  Monday,  April  8th,  the 
party  reached  a  point  in  Daviess  County  about  a  mile  from 
Gallatin,  where  the  prisoners  were  delivered  into  the  hands  of 
William  Morgan,  sheriff  of  Daviess  County.  The  grand  jury 
was  in  session  in  Daviess  County  at  that  time,  it  being  the 
regular  April  term  of  Circuit  Court  and  that  day  the  said 
grand  jury  returned  a  true  bill  for  treason  against  all  of  the 
prisoners  along  with  many  others.  The  text  of  the  indict- 
ment being  as  follows : 

"In  Daviess  Circuit  Court,  April  Term, 
Eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-nine. 
State  of  Missouri, 
County  of  Daviess. 

Daviess  County,  towit: 

The  Grand  Jurors,  for  the  State  of  Missouri,  for  the  body  of 
the  County  of  Daviess,  aforesaid,  upon  their  oath,  present  that 
Jacob  Gales,  Hiram  Smith,  Thomas  Rich,  Joseph  Smith,  Jr., 
Lyman  Wight,  E.  Robertson,  William  Whiteman,  Lemuel  Bent, 
Joseph  W.  Younger,  David  Petigrew,  Edward  Patridge,  George 
W.  Robertson,  Washington  Voorhies,  Jesse  D.  Hunter,  James  H. 
Rollins,  Sidney  Tanner,  David  Cams,  Alonson  Ripley,  James 
Worthington,  George  W.  Harris,  Alexander  MeCrary,  Tenor 
Brunston,  Thomas  D.  March,  James  Durphy,  Perry  Durhpy, 
George  Hinkle,  Arthur  Morrison,  Chas.  Higby,  Parley  P.  Pratt, 
Reynolds  Calhoon,  Vincent  Knight,  George  Morry,  Daniel  Cams, 
Caleb  Baldwin,  Ebenezer  Page,  Parley  Page,  Roswell  Stephens, 
Jabes  Durphy,  Moses  Daily,  Benj.  Durphee,  James  Whitaker,  late 

of  the  County  of being  citizens  of  our  said  state,  not  having 

the  fear  of  God  in  their  hearts  nor  weighing  their  allegiance,  but 
being  moved  and  seduced  by  the  instigation  of  the  devil  as  false 


102  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

traitors  against  the  laws  of  our  said  state,  and  wholly  withdrawing 
the  cordial  love  and  true  and  due  obedience  which  every  true  and 
faithful  citizen  of  our  said  state  should  and  of  right  ought  to  bear 
towards  the  laws  of  our  said  state  and  contriving  with  all  their 
strength  intending  traitorously,  to  break  and  disturb  the  peace  and 
common  tranquility  of  this  said  State  of  Missouri,  and  to  stir  and 
move  and  excite  insurrection,  rebellion  and  war  against  our  said 
State  within  this  State  and  to  subvert  and  alter  the  legislature, 
rule,  and  government  now  duly  and  happily  established  in  this 

state  on  the day  of in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen 

hundred  and  thirty-eight,  and  on  divers  other  days  and  times  as 
well  as  before  as  after  at  the  county  of  Daviess,  aforesaid.  Mali- 
ciously, with  force  and  arms  and  of  their  malice  and  aforethought 
did  amongst  themselves  and  with  divers  other  false  traitors  whose 
names  are  to  the  said  Jurors  unknown,  conspire,  compass,  imagine, 
and  intend  to  stir  up  and  excite  insurrection,  rebellion  and  war 
against  our  said  state  within  this  state  of  Missouri  to  subvert  and 
alter  the  legislature,  rule  and  government  now  duly  and  happily 
established  within  this  state,  and  to  fulfil,  perfect  and  bring  to 
effect  their  most  evil  and  wicked  treason  and  treasonable  compass- 
ings  and  imaginations  aforesaid  the  said  defendants  as  such  false 

traitors  as  aforesaid  with  force  and  arms  on  the  said day  of 

in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-eight, 

and  on  divers  and  other  days  and  times  as  well  before  as  after,  at 
the  County  of  Daviess,  aforesaid,  maliciously  and  traitorously  did 
meet,  conspire,  consult  and  agree  among  themselves  and  together 
with  divers  other  false  traitors  whose  names  are  to  the  said  Jurors 
unknown,  to  cause  and  procure  a  convention  and  meeting  of  divers 
citizens  of  this  state  to  be  assembled  and  held  within  this  state 
with  intent  and  in  order  that  the  persons  to  be  assembled  at  such 
meeting  should  and  might  wickedly  and  traitorously  without 
authority  and  in  defiance  of  the  laws  of  this  state,  levy  war  against 
our  said  state  and  subvert  and  cause  to  be  subverted  and  altered 
the  legislature,  rule  and  government  of  this  state  now  duly  and 
happily  established  in  this  state.  And  further,  to  fulfil,  perfect  and 
bring  to  effect  their  most  evil  and  wicked  treason  and  treasonable 
Gompassings  and  imaginations  aforesaid  and  in  order  the  more 
readily  and  effectually  to  assemble  such  convention  and  meeting 
as  aforesaid  for  the  traitorous  purposes  aforesaid  and  thereby  to 
acomplish  the  said  purposes,  the  said  defendants  as  such  false 
traitors  as  aforesaid,  together  with  divers  false  traitors  whose 
names  are  to  the  Jurors  aforesaid  unknown,  the  said  defendants  as 

such  false  traitors  as  aforesaid  with  force  and  arms  on  the day 

of in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight,  and  on  divers  other  days  and  times  as  well  before  as  after  at 
the  County  of  Daviess,  aforesaid,  maliciously  and  traitorously  did 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         103 

compose  and  write  and  did  then  and  there,  maliciously  and  traitor- 
ously cause  to  be  composed  and  written,  divers  pamphlets,  letters, 
instructions,  resolutions,  orders,  declarations,  addresses  and  wrti- 
ings  and  did  there  and  then,  maliciously  and  traitorously  publish 
and  did  there  and  then  maliciously  and  traitorously  cause  to  be 
published,  divers  other  pamphlets,  letters,  instructions,  resolutions, 
orders,  declarations,  addresses  and  writings,  the  said  pamphletji, 
letters,  instructions,  resolutions,  orders,  declarations,  addresses 
and  writings  so  respectively  composed,  written,  published  and 
caused  to  be  composed,  written  and  published,  purporting  and 
containing  therein  among  other  things,  incitements,  encourage- 
ments and  exortations,  to  move,  induce  and  pursuade  the  citizens 
of  our  said  state  to  levy  war  against  our  said  state  and  to  adhere, 
to  the  enemies  of  our  said  state  and  to  give  them  aid  and  comfort 
in  time  of  war  and  further  fulfil,  perfect  and  bring  to  effect  their 
most  evil  and  wicked  treason  and  treasonable  compassings  and 
imaginations  aforesaid  and  in  order  the  more  readily  and  effectually 
to  assemble  such  convention  and  meeting  as  aforesaid  for  the 
traitorous  purposes  aforesaid  and  thereby  to  accomplish  the  same 
purpose  the  said  defendants  as  such  false  traitors  as  aforesaid,  on 

the day  of in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen  hundred 

and  thirty-eight,  aforesaid  and  on  divers  other  days  and  times  as 
well  before  as  after,  with  force  and  arms  at  the  County  of  Daviess, 
aforesaid,  did  meet,  consult  and  deliberate  among  themselves  and 
together  with  other  false  traitors  whose  names  are  to  Jurors 
aforesaid  unknown  of  and  concerning  the  calling  and  assem- 
bling such  convention  and  meeting  as  aforesaid  for  the  trait- 
orous purposes  aforesaid  and  how,  when  and  where  such  con- 
vention and  meeting  should  be  assembled  and  held  and  by 
what  means  the  citizens  of  our  said  state  should  and  might  be  in- 
duced and  moved  to  convene  and  meet  in  said  convention  and 
meeting.  And  further  to  fulfil — perfect  and  bring  to  effect  their 
most  evil  and  wicked  treason  and  treasonable  compassings  and 
imaginations  aforesaid  and  in  order  the  more  readily  and  effectually 
to  assemble  such  convention  and  meeting  as  aforesaid  for  the  traitor- 
ous purposes  aforesaid,  and  thereby  to  accomplish  the  same  pur- 
poses, the  said  defendants  as  such  false  traitors  as  aforesaid,  together 
with  divers  other  false  traitors  whose  names  are  to  the  said  Jurors 

unknown  on  the  said day  of in  the  year  of  our  Lord, 

eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-eight  and  on  divers  other  days  and 
times  as  well  before  as  after  with  force  and  arms,  at  the  County  of 
Daviess,  aforesaid,  maliciously  and  traitorously  did  consent  and 
co-operate  among  themselves  and  together  with  divers  other  false 
traitors  whose  names  are  to  the  said  Jurors  unknown  for  and  to- 
wards the  calling  and  assembling  such  convention  and  meeting  as 
aforesaid  for  the  traitorous  purposes  of  aforesaid.     And  further,  to 


104  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

fulfil,  perfect,  bring  to  effect  their  most  evil  and  wicked  treason 
and  treasonable  practices  compassings  and  imaginations  aforesaid 
the  said  defendants  as  such  false  traitors  as  aforesaid,  together 
with  divers  other  false  traitors  whose  names  are  to  the  said  Jurors 

unknown  on  the  said day  of in  the  year  of  our  Lord 

eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-eight,  with  force  and  arms,  at  the 
County  of  Daviess,  aforesaid,  maliciously  and  traitorously  did 
cause  and  procure  to  be  made  and  provided  and  did  then  and 
there,  maliciously  and  traitorously  consent  and  agree  to  the  mak- 
ing and  providing  of  divers  arms  and  offensive  weapons — towit :  guns, 
muskets,  pikes  and  axes  for  the  purposes  of  arming  divers  citizens  of 
our  said  state  in  order  and  to  the  intent  that  same  citizens  should 
and  might  unlawfully,  forcibly  and  traitorously  oppose  and  with- 
stand the  oflBcers  of  our  said  state  in  the  due  and  lawful  exercise  of 
their  power  and  authority  in  the  due  execution  of  the  laws  and 
statutes  of  this  state  and  should  and  might  unlawfully,  forcibly 
and  traitorously  subvert,  and  alter  and  aid  and  assist  in  subvert- 
ing and  altering,  without  and  in  defiance  of  authority  and  against 
the  will  of  the  people  of  this  state,  the  legislature,  rule  and  govern- 
ment now  duly  and  happily  established  in  this  state.  And  to 
fulfil,  perfect  and  bring  to  effect  their  most  evil  and  wicked  treason 
and  treasonable  compassings  and  imaginations  aforesaid,  the  said 
defendants  as  such  false  traitors  as  aforesaid,  with  force  and  arms 
on  the  said  first  day  of  November  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen 
hundred  and  thirty-eight,  and  on  divers  other  days  and  times  as 
well  as  before  as  after,  at  the  County  of  Daviess,  aforesaid, 
maliciously  did  meet,  conspire,  consult  and  agree  among  themselves 
and  with  divers  other  false  traitors  whose  names  are  to  the  said 
Jurors  unknown,  to  raise  and  levy  and  make  insurrection,  rebellion 
and  war  within  this  state  against  our  said  State  of  Missouri.  And 
further,  to  fulfil,  perfect  and  bring  to  effect,  their  most  evil  and 
wicked  treason  and  treasonable  compassings  and  imaginations 
aforesaid,  the  said  defendants  as  such  false  traitors  as  aforesaid, 

on  the  said day  of in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen 

hundred  and  thirty-eight,  and  on  divers  other  days  and  times,  as 
well  before  as  after,  at  the  County  of  Daviess  aforesaid,  with  force 
and  arms,  maliciously  and  traitorously  did  meet,  conspire,  consult 
and  agree  together  amongst  themselves  and  together  with  divers 
other  false  traitors  whose  names  to  the  Jurors  aforesaid  unknown, 
unlawfully,  wicked  and  traitorously  to  subvert  and  alter  and  cause 
to  be  subverted  and  altered,  the  legislature,  rule  and  government 
now  duly  and  happily  established  in  this  state  of  Missouri.  And 
further  to  fulfil,  perfect  and  bring  to  effect  their  most  evil  and 
wicked  treason  and  treasonable  compassings  and  imaginations  as 
aforesaid  and  in  order  the  more  readily  and  eflfectually  to  bring 
such  subversion  and  alteration  last  aforesaid,  the  said  defendants 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.        105 

as  such  false  traitors  as  aforesaid,  together  with  divers  other  false 
traitors,  whose  names  are  to  the  said  Jurors  unknown  on  the  said 

day  of in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen  hundred  and 

thirty-eight,  and  on  divers  days  and  times  as  well  before  as  after, 
with  force  and  arms,  at  the  county  aforesaid,  maliciously  and 
traitorously  did  prepare  and  compose  and  did  then  and  there 
maliciously  and  traitorously  cause  to  be  prepared  and  composed 
divers  books,  pamphlets,  letters,  declarations,  instructions,  resolu- 
tions, orders,  addresses  and  writings  and  did  then  and  there  mali- 
ciously and  traitorously  publish  and  disperse  and  did  then  and 
there,  maliciously  and  traitorously  cause  and  procure  to  be  pub- 
lished and  dispersed,  divers  other  books,  pamphlets,  letters, 
declarations,  instructions,  resolutions,  orders,  addresses,  and  writ- 
ings so  respectively  prepared,  composed,  published  dispersed  as 
last  aforesaid,  purporting  and  containing  therein  amongst  other 
things,  incitements,  encouragements  and  exhortations  to  move, 
induce  and  persuade  the  citizens  of  our  said  state  of  Missouri  to 
aid  and  assist  in  carrying  into  effect  such  traitorous  subversion 
and  alteration  as  last  aforesaid  and  also  containing  therein,  amongst 
other  things,  information,  instructions  and  directions  to  the  citi- 
zens of  our  said  state,  how,  when  and  upon  what  occasion  the 
traitorous  purpose  last  aforesaid  should  and  might  be  carried  into 
effect.  And  further,  to  fulfil,  perfect  and  bring  to  effect  their 
most  wicked  treason  and  treasonable  compassings  and  imaginations 
aforesaid,  the  said  defendants  as  such  false  traitors, as  aforesaid, 
together  with  divers  other  false  traitors  whose  names  are  to  the 

said  Jurors  unknown,  on  the day  of in  the  year  of  our  Lord, 

eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-eight  and  on  divers  other  days  and 
times  as  well  before  as  after  at  the  county  of  Daviess,  aforesaid, 
with  force  and  arms  maliciously  and  traitorously  aid,  procure  and 
provide  and  did  and  then  and  there,  maliciously  and  traitorously 
did  cause  and  procure  to  be  provided  and  did  then  and  there, 
maliciously  and  traitorously  consent  and  agree  to  the  procuring 
and  providing  arms  and  offensive  weapons,  towit:  guns,  muskets, 
pikes  and  axes,  therewith  to  levy  war,  insurrection  and  rebellion 
against  our  said  state  within  this  State  of  Missouri,  against  the 
duty  of  the  allegiance  of  the  said  defendants  and  further,  to  fulfil, 
perfect  and  bring  to  effect  their  most  wicked  treason  and  treason- 
able compassings  and  imaginations  aforesaid.  The  said  defendant 
as  such  false  traitors,  as  aforesaid,  on  the  first  day  of  November, 
the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-eight,  and  on 
divers  other  days  and  times  as  well  before  as  after,  at  the  county 
aforesaid,  with  force  and  arms,  maliciously  and  traitorously  did 
meet  and  collect  and  together  armed  with  guns,  muskets,  pikes  and 
axes  and  did  then  and  there  agree  amongst  themselves  and  together 
with  divers  other  false  traitors,  whose  names  are  to  the  said  Jurors 


BANCROFT 


106  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

unknown,  wickedly  and  traitorously,  to  subvert  and  alter  and 
cause  to  be  subverted  and  altered  the  laws,  legislature,  rule  and 
government  of  our  said  state  now  duly  and  happily  established 
in  this  state  did  meet  and  converse  and  collect  together  a  large 
armed  force  and  then  and  there  did  levy  war  against  our  said  state 
and  did  then  and  there  levy  war  against  the  people  of  this  state — 
against  the  allegiance  of  the  said  defendants — against  form  of  the 
statute  in  such  case  made  and  provided  and  against  the  peace  and 
dignity  of  the  state. 

J.  A.  CLARK,  Circuit  Attorney. 

On  which  was  indorsed  the  following: 


State 

vs. 
Joseph  Smith 
Lyman  Wight 
Hiram  Smith 
Caleb  Baldwin  and  others. 

A  true  bill. 


Treason. 


Robert  P.  Peniston, 

Foreman  of  the  Grand  Jury. 


Sampson  Avard 
Waterman  Philips 
Adam  Blaxer 
Josiah  Morin 
John  Corril 
J.  L.  Rodgers 
Francis  McGuire 
Labum  Morrin 
Henry  McHenry 
John  Edwards 
John  Brown 
Robert  McGaw 
John  B.  Comer 
Jackson  Job 
Ira  Glaze." 

There  were  numerous  other  indictments  returned  by  this 
Grand  Jury  against  the  said  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Lyman  Wight, 
Alexander  McRae,  Caleb  Baldwin  and  Hiram  Smith,  charging 
murder,  treason,  burglary,  larceny,  theft  and  receiving  stolen 
goods,  one  of  the  other  indictments  being  as  follows: 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         107 

"State  of  Missouri         1  In  the  Circuit  Court 

County  of  Daviess.        Jss.  April  Term,  1839. 

Daviess  County,  to  wit: 

The  Grand  Jurors  for  the  State  of  Missouri  for  the  body  of  the 
county  aforesaid,  upon  their  oaths  present  that  Joseph  Smith,  Jr., 
late  of  said  county,  on  the  first  day  of  October  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1838,  with  force  and  arms,  at  the  county  aforesaid,  of  and  from 
one  Cornelius  P.  Lott,  one  saddle  of  the  value  of  twenty  dollars  of 
the  goods  and  chattels  of  George  Worthington  feloniously  did 
receive  and  have,  he,  the  said  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  then  and  there  well 
knowing  the  said  saddle  to  have  been  taken,  stolen  and  carried 
away,  against  the  form  of  the  statute  in  such  case  made  and  pro- 
vided and  against  the  peace  and  dignity  of  the  state. 

J.  A.  Clark,  Circuit  Attorney. 

(Endorsements  on  back.) 

State 

vs. 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr. 

Receiving  Stolen  Goods. 

A  True  Bill. 

Robert  P.  Peniston, 

Foreman  of  Grand  Jury. 
Witnesses : 
Sampson  Avard." 

The  prisoners  were  arraigned  before  the  Honorable 
Thomas  C.  Burch,  Judge  of  Circuit  Court  of  Daviess  County 
and  pleaded  not  guilty.  The  prisoners  then  took  a  change  of 
venue  from  the  Circuit  Court  of  Daviess  County  on  the  ground 
that  the  Judge  had  been  of  counsel  in  the  cause — and  the 
court  sent  the  various  causes  to  the  Circuit  Court  of  Boone 
County,  Missouri,  and  commanded  the  removal  of  the  prison- 
ers to  the  jail  of  said  Boone  County. 

The  proceedings  are  fully  set  out  in  the  order  made  in  the 
cause  for  receiving  stolen  goods  heretofore  cited,  which  order, 
with  the  sheriff's  return  thereon,  made  after  the  prisoners  had 
escaped  from  him,  while  being  transferred  from  Daviess 
County  to  Boone  County,  being  as  follows : 

"At  the  April  Term,  1839,  of  the  Circuit  Court  held  at  and  for 
the  County  of  Daviess,  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  on  the  eighth  day 
of  April,  1839,  at  the  house  of  Elisha  B.  Creekmore  in  said  county, 


108  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

being  the  temporary  place  of  holding  the  court  for  said  county. 
Present  the  Honorable  Thomas  C.  Burch,  Judge,  the  following 
proceedings  were  had,  to  wit: 
The  State  of  Missouri, 

vs. 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr., 
Lyman  Wight  and  others, 

Indictment  for  Larceny. 

The  judge  of  this  court  having  been  counsel  in  this  cause  and 
the  parties  therein  not  consenting  to  a  trial  thereof  in  this  court, 
but  the  said  defendants  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.  and  Lyman  Wight  object- 
ing thereto  for  the  reasons  that  the  judge  of  this  court  has  been  of 
counsel  in  this  cause,  it  is  ordered  by  the  court  here  that  said  cause 
as  to  the  said  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.  and  Lyman  Wight  be  removed  to 
the  Circuit  Court  of  the  County  of  Boone  in  the  Second  Judicial 
Circuit  in  this  state.  It  is  further  ordered  by  the  court  here  that  the 
Sheriff  of  the  county  of  Daviess  do  and  he  is  commanded  to  remove 
the  bodies  of  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.  and  Lyman  Wight  to  the  jail  of  the 
County  of  Boone  and  there  deliver  them  to  the  keeper  of  said  jail, 
together  with  the  warrant  or  process  by  which  they  are  imprisoned 
and  held. 

State  of  Missouri,      1 
County  of  Daviess.    J 

I,  Robert  Wilson,  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  within  and  for  the 
county  of  Daviess  aforesaid,  do  certify  that  the  foregoing  is  a  true, 
full  and  perfect  copy  from  the  records  of  said  court  in  the  above 
cause. 

In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  affixed 
my  private  seal,  there  being  no  official  seal  provided  at  office  11th 
day  of  April,  1839. 

Robert  Wilson,  Clerk. 

This  is  to  certify  that  I  executed  the  within  order  by  taking  the 
bodies  of  the  within  names  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.  and  Lyman  Wight 
into  my  custody  and  that  I  summoned  a  guard  of  four  men,  to  wit: 
William  Bowman,  Wilson  McKinney,  John  Brassfield  and  John 
Page  to  assist  me  in  taking  the  Smith,  Wight  and  others  from  E.  B. 
Creekmore's,  the  place  of  holding  court  in  the  county  of  Daviess, 
to  the  town  of  Columbia  in  the  county  of  Boone,  State  of  Missouri, 
as  commanded  by  said  order  and  that  on  the  way  from  E.  B.  Creek- 
more's in  the  county  of  Daviess  aforesaid  on  the  16th  day  of  April, 
1839,  the  said  Smith  and  others  made  their  escape  without  the 
connivance,  consent  or  negligence  of  myself  or  said  guard. 

July  6th,  1839. 

William  Morgan, 

Sheriff  of  Daviess  County.*' 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         109 

It  was  the  15th  day  of  April,  1839,  that  William  Morgan 
with  his  four  guards  started  from  Daviess  County  with  the 
prisoners,  Joseph  Smith,  Caleb  Baldwin,  Hyrum  Smith, 
Lyman  Wight  and  Alexander  McRae,  to  deliver  the  said 
prisoners  into  the  care  and  custody  of  the  sheriff  of  Boone 
County,  Missouri,  at  Columbia.  That  night  they  staid  with 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Cox,  and  on  the  16th  they  traveled  about, 
twenty  miles  and  camped ;  that  night  all  the  prisoners  escaped 
and  the  sheriff  and  guard  returned  to  Gallatin  and  made  the 
return  heretofore  shown.  Major  Joseph  H.  McGee  in  refer- 
ring to  the  matter  in  his  "Memoirs"  says: 

"One  of  the  guard,  John  Brassfield,  owned  the  horses  on  which 
the  prisoners  were  conveyed ;  as  he  was  on  duty  the  night  they  made 
their  escape,  and  his  horses  were  missing  in  the  morning,  it  was 
always  thought  he  got  pay  for  his  horses  as  well  as  allowing  them 
to  escape.  Morgan,  the  Sheriff,  left  the  country  shortly  after.  Wm. 
Bowman,  another  one  of  the  guards,  was  treated  to  a  ride  through 
the  streets  of  Gallatin  by  the  infuriated  citizens  of  the  county  on  a 
bar  of  steel,  which  probably  caused  his  death.  He  never  recovered 
from  the  shock  and  died  shortly  after." 

Another  account  of  this  escape  is  told  in  the  Mormon  pub- 
lication, "Joseph  Smith  the  Prophet  and  His  Progenitors," 
page  264,  where  it  quotes  Hyrum  Smith  as  testifying  before 
the  Municipal  Court  of  Nauvoo,  as  follows: 

"There  we  bought  a  jug  of  whiskey,  with  which  we  treated  the 
company,  and  while  the  Sheriff  showed  us  the  mittimus  before 
referred  to,  without  date  or  signature,  and  said  Judge  Burch  told 
him  never  to  carry  us  to  Boone  County  and  never  to  show  the 
mittimus;  and  said  he,  "I  shall  take  a  good  drink  of  grog  and  go 
to  bed;  you  can  do  as  you  have  a  mind  to."  Three  others  of  the 
guard  drank  pretty  freely  of  whiskey,  sweetened  with  honey;  they 
also  went  to  bed,  and  were  soon  asleep,  and  the  other  guard  went 
along  with  us  and  helped  to  saddle  the  horses.  Two  of  us  mounted 
the  horses,  and  the  other  three  started  on  foot,  and  we  took  our 
change  of  venue  for  the  State  of  Illinois;  and  in  the  course  of  nine 
or  ten  daj'^s  we  arrived  in  Quincy,  Adams  County,  Illinois,  where 
we  found  our  families  in  a  state  of  poverty,  although  in  good  health 
they  having  been  driven  out  of  the  State  previously  by  the  murder- 
ous militia,  under  the  exterminating  order  of  the  Executive  of 
Missouri." 

In  his  summary  of  expenditures,  Joseph  Smith  states: 


110  MISSOURI  HISTORICAL  REVIEW. 

"Before  leaving  Missouri  I  had  paid  the  lawyers  at  Richmond 
thirty-four  thousand  dollars  in  cash,  lands,  etc.,  one  lot  which  I  let 
them  have,  in  Jackson  County,  for  seven  thousand  dollars  they  were 
soon  offered  ten  thousand  dollars  for  it,  but  would  not  accept 
it.  For  other  vexatious  suits  which  I  had  to  contend  against  the 
few  months  I  was  in  the  State,  I  paid  lawyers'  fees  to  the  amount  of 
about  sixteen  thousand  dollars,  making  in  all  about  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  for  which  I  received  very  little  in  return;  for  sometimes  they 
were  afraid  to  act  on  account  of  the  mob,  and  sometimes  they  were 
so  drunk  as  to  incapacitate  them  for  business.  But  there  were  few 
honorable  exceptions." 


A  Final  Word. 

Practically  all  of  the  surviving  followers  of  Joseph  Smith, 
Jr.,  succeeded,  after  many  hardships,  in  reaching  Illinois  before 
the  close  of  the  Spring  of  1839,  where  more  tribulations  were 
awaiting  them,  but  here  our  story  should  end,  though  we  feel 
it  incumbent  to  gaze  once  more  over  the  site  of  Adam-ondi- 
Ahman. 

The  same  beautiful  green  bluff,  surmounted  by  some  of 
the  same  great  trees  overlook  the  same  Grand  River  at  the  same 
spot  still.  The  log  cabin  of  Lyman  Wight  alone  remains  of  all 
the  buildings  that  once  occupied  the  townsite.  Above  where 
stood  the  village  is  the  same  picturesque  elevation  warmed  by 
the  strata  of  linestone  that  compose  it,  adown  the  sides  ot 
which  grow  the  wild  cactus  luxuriant,  with  its  beautiful  yellow 
bloom,  and  on  the  top  of  which  stands  a  giant  hackberry,  at 
the  foot  of  which  is  a  little  pile  of  limestone,  loosened  in  the 
making  of  a  shallow  excavation  in  the  top  of  the  hill. 

It  was  of  this  elevation  surmounted  by  the  great  forest 
tree  and  limestone  rock  that  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  made  reference 
when  he  wrote: 

"We  arrived  at  Tower  Hill  (a  name  I  gave  it  in  conse- 
quence of  the  remains  of  an  old  Nephite  altar  or  tower),"  and 
out  of  this  has  grown  a  legend  cherished  by  thousands  of 
people,  most  of  whom  are  not  friendly  to  the  Mormons,  the  pur- 
port of  which  is  that  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  declared  that  particular 
spot  to  be  the  burial  place  of  Adam.  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  never 
made  such  an  utterance,  no  follower  of  his  cherishes  such  a 


EARLY  DAYS  ON  GRAND  RIVER  AND  MORMON  WAR.         Ill 

notion.  What  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  did  say  about  Adam-ondi- 
Ahman,  was  said  with  reference  to  his  visit  to  the  spot  on 
Friday,  May  18,  1838,  of  which  he  wrote: 

"In  the  afternoon,  I  went  up  the  river  about  half  a  mile  to 
Wight's  Ferry,  accompanied  by  President  Rigdon  and  my  clerk 
George  W.  Robinson  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  and  laying  claim 
to  a  city  plat  near  said  ferry  in  Daviess  County,  Township  60, 
Ranges  27  and  28  and  Sections  25,  36,  31  and  30,  which  the  brethren 
called  Spring  Hill;  but  by  the  mouth  oj  the  Lord  it  was  named  Adam- 
ondi'Ahman,  because  said  he,  it  is  the  place  where  Adam  shall  come 
to  visit  his  people,  or  the  Ancient  o/  Days  shall  sit,  as  spoken  oJ  by 
Daniel  the  Prophet.'' 

That  spot  will  always  be  a  Mecca  for  Mormon  Mission- 
aries and  tourists. 

— The  End. 


3i( 


i  1, 


,  'W' 


